I remain optimistic about the future of space exploration. Launch costs have dropped substantially and we are launching more stuff into space than ever before. In terms of technology, we are finally pushing into the capabilities that us pocket protector types have been wanting to pursue for the past 50 years. I believe that we will have a robust Earth-Moon program, especially if you zoom out and look at this from the species level rather than just the U.S. When it comes to Mars, well that is just absurdly far away. Hopefully the powers that be resume the effort to perform an (unmanned) sample return mission, though.
I have known two engineers who made it to the serious Astronaut interviews in Houston. Neither one made the cut, which makes it clear I don't have a chance. I might check one or two boxes, which unfortunately leaves the other fifty. When it comes down to it, I think the real job of an astronaut on an actual space mission is building and repairing things, and I suck at house projects. I always thought it would be better to send some of the highly skilled technicians that I have worked with. I have no doubt they could have fixed the Hubble in record time.
