There's no reason we can't go into space AND give everybody on earth the medicine, food, clothes and shelter they need. We certainly have the technological and material capabilities to do that. It's just that under capitalism the wealth is distributed in such a way that millions have to live in squalor so an elite few can live in luxury. But that's a whole nother can of worms...

More to the point, yes, we should definitely aim to make space a worldwide endeavor. We all come from the same blue dot out there in space. For too long nations have been quabbling for ownership of a little corner of that blue dot, but now we have the opportunity to explore the rest of the cosmos in unity.

Oh, and Civ 3 kicks ass. Right now I'm playing a game as the Spanish and I'm aiming to go into space...after I use my mighty armies to expand my empire of course.