Infrastructure and response

I remember reading an essay by Isaac Asimov decades ago that argued for a slow steady expansion into space (to Earth orbit, then a Moon base, then a Mars Moon base, then Mars, ...) instead of one-off missions where you go, look around, then leave.  In his view once humans arrived at a new place they would never really leave and the required space based infrastructure would be built up to make each following mission easier than it would be by doing everything from Earth. 

In a way it feels like we are not doing this, the prime example being no humans returning to the Moon in almost 40 years.  However, the ISS has been continuously occupied for many years and Curiosity's Mars landing last night is perhaps another example.  We had multiple satellites in orbit around Mars that assisted with relaying data from the landing.  Also, when a lander lands on another planet or moon something seems missing because you can't actually see the craft itself landing, everything is from it's point of view.  However, for the first time, a orbiting satellite captured an image of the lander parachuting to the surface.

At this moment, I think this is the most significant image returned from the landing.  It shows that we are building a coordinated infrastructure on another planet.

Also, I am struck by the public response.  I read an article that said people in times square were watching the landing and broke into a spontaneous chant of "SCIENCE!, SCIENCE!, SCIENCE!, ..."  Often it feels like science is vilified in our popular culture.  I can't remember the last time something spontaneous like this from a crowd has happened in support of science!