It is conceivable that within a few thousand years (if they were available) man could thoroughly explore and learn everything there is to know about our own solar system. What, then, would have been achieved at great cost in time, effort, money, and, quite possibly, more lives? The obvious answer is almost nothing in comparison to the overall cosmos! This is not what space scientists are leading us to believe, nor is it what their supporters want to hear. It is, however, the uncomfortable truth.