Missed First Episode of Tyson's Cosmos

I had just enjoyed a week off from work and was scheduled to come back in last night at eleven, but saw that the new edition of Cosmos, featuring astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, was scheduled to be on Fox at 9 PM.  Unfortunately, I felt that the need to rest before going off to work outweighed my enthusiasm for this show and I now hopefully await the opportunity to see a rerun of it sometime later this week.  I like science television series like Wormhole and The Universe...Cosmos definitely belongs squarely in this genre.

Tyson, like Britain's Brian Cox, is a talented scientist who has the relatively rare ability in his profession to popularize his often very obscure field and translate complex ideas into language that gives people a greater insight into how the universe works.  The problem is that, while many people enjoy speculating about the nature of the universe and our place within it while cheering on space programs designed to extend our presence and knowledge, relatively few consider it enough of a priority worthy of investing the money needed to fund such programs and missions.  On the politically conservative side, many see anything even partially government-sponsored as anathema to their "don't tread on me" ideology, while many liberals on the other end regularly roll out the argument that the money spent into space exploration could better be used to help the needy here on Earth (or for a different interest of theirs).  This still leaves a section of the population who want a stronger space program, but unfortunately they tend to be less politically active about pushing their agenda. And when push comes to shove, there always seems to be a better place to spend the money.

Cosmos was originally produced in the 1980's and featured the late Carl Sagan. That earlier edition was naturally a bit outdated in some areas, but in others, especially when referring to manned space travel, it seems sadly "advanced"...almost as if we've been doing little since to extend our frontiers...