The Believer’s Brain

The United States spent, adjusted for inflation, a quarter trillion dollars on the Apollo project. The most famous of the astronauts who reached the lunar surface, Neil Arm­strong, later suffered such severe depression that he was deposited in a psych ward. I have no doubt that he found that more frightening than his expedition into outer space, and granted how many more people will make the jour­ney to and from despair, it’s surprising that more effort hasn’t been expended understanding the science behind it.