Walter Cunningham, John Logsdon and others have written well and intelligently on the Apollo culture and its applicability today [“The End of the Apollo Culture? What a Shame,” Commentary, July 12, page 19, and “The End of the Apollo Era — Finally?” Commentary, July 5, page 19]. The dialogue on the direction of the space program and the NASA culture needed to support that direction is important and must continue.

Having been deeply involved in the U.S. human spaceflight program during both the Apollo and space shuttle eras, I fully agree with Robert Zubrin’s position in the Feb. 22 Space News that NASA needs goals, destinations and milestones [“NASA Needs a Destination,” page 19]. Without a destination, NASA tends to revert to being a politically driven jobs and industrial base make-work program, frustrating the many dedicated government and industry employees working in the space program.