Discussions about space travel and settlement typically involve matters of science and engineering.  However, these are merely enablers that will lead to an increasingly greater number of humans living in orbit, on the Moon, on large asteroids, on Mars, and ultimately throughout the solar system.  Where people go, so goes their faith, their spiritual sense, their need for religion... and for some, none of this whatsoever.

Watching the fixation on faith that has become embedded within the Presidential debates and campaigns, I found myself pondering how space travelers and settlers would handle the practical elements of their faiths. 

Not that anyone should be surprised.  Indeed, how can you expect an organization of 535 individuals to come together and agree to lead as a unified body on anything but the most urgent and important national issues.  I mean, how often can you get your family or friends to agree on far less crucial matters... or even truly weighty concerns like who should win on "American Idol?"

From another angle, one may ask if we really want Congress to lead, or do we prefer Congress to follow the lead of its constituents... the American people?  If this is the case, then we aren't showing much leadership, either.  Again, no surprise, considering the constant drumbeat of gloom and doom.  Sometimes it's all we can do to hunker down and stay out of the way.

In either scenario, in a democracy such as ours this often leads to poor politically-motivated decisions by our elected officials, meaning real problems don't get addressed.  What's this got to do with space?