Currently, there are only two more missions scheduled for Shuttle Atlantis to perform; this will bring the Space Shuttle program to a close after a long and distinguished service. I sincerely hope that we humans will not take too much time to develop the next series of vehicles that will continue to carry humans to space, whether that be Earth-orbit, lunar exploration/colonization, interplanetary missions or beyond - I believe that we cannot survive without the technical know-how, the room to grow, and the grand vision that space exploration provides. It will bring a return-on-investment far beyond our expectations - we just need to learn to balance long-term goals with short-term responsibility. Just ask any successful businessperson about that :)
Human spaceflight must continue, for many reasons. Unmanned missions and Earth (and near-Earth) based observatories are excellent tools for many tasks and will always be needed, but there will always be a need for humans to be out there, poking our noses into whatever we can find.... it's kinda what we do ;)
But then, I'm a dinosaur. :)
