[vannrox]

Hum.

[John Beresford Tipton]

"President Bush's plan to go to the moon and to Mars without much additional funding will force NASA and Congress to make..."

Pigs fly out of their butts?

[taxcontrol]

Offer $1 Billion for the first ton of He3 returned from the moon. NASA sets the prize money aside and keeps doing what it has been doing. Possibly sells shuttle payload space along the way.

BTW, He3 is excellent fusion material and it emits very little radiation.

[debg]

Why oh why do these writers fail to acknowledge the fact that countries across the globe are attempting the same thing? China, India, Brazil, Japan, and just today, Europe...are announcing similar programs.

[Atlas Sneezed]

I've been saying from the beginning that Bush's announcement was essentially about canning the shuttle.

[bayourod]

The real objective is to establish a military/communications/spy base on the moon. Satellites are much too vulnerable now that dozens of nations have space programs.

Our military would be blind and deaf if our military satellites were destroyed.

The Mars part is just a cover for spending far more money than a nonmilitary base on the moon would justify, especially the R&D.

[Cicero]

The international space station is a monstrously wasteful and pointless political boondoggle whose only purpose was to show that the US and the Soviet Union could work together despite the Cold War.

Now that the Soviet Union no longer exists, and Russia has said it wants out of this wasteful program even though we pay most of their expenses, because it still costs them too much money, why not recognize reality and give it the axe?

[Phil V.]

If you'd like to be on or off this MARS ping list please FRail me

[tlrugit]

The real objective is to establish a military/communications/spy base on the moon. Satellites are much too vulnerable now that dozens of nations have space programs.

Our military would be blind and deaf if our military satellites were destroyed.

The Mars part is just a cover for spending far more money than a nonmilitary base on the moon would justify, especially the R&D.

All of which seems to me to be the short term benefit. Long term it seems to me that the US should lead in the exploitation of the solar system's resources. To do this at least one earth orbital processing plant and transfer point will be needed. The ISS is the test bed for that platform, and as such is needed.

[sport]

Don't tell sheila jackson lee but President Bush and Vice President are searching Mars for Oil.

[Physicist]

He went so far as to indicate that the plan is a Trojan Horse for killing the shuttle and station

That's fair. The shuttle and station were Trojan horses for killing worthwhile space exploration.

[aquawrench]

I dont know, when I hear 'moon base', I think of Austin Powers third flick.

Whats with all the hidden language, why dont Bush just come out and say, "My fellow Americans, tonight we are adding a 51st state to our union, the moon. Tommorrow a 52nd, Mars."

Please stop the crap about mining for this or that. We see another country out there that wants to take a run at us in China, right? Its all about China then isnt it?

[F16Fighter]

Of what realistic benefit is a 'Mars Mission'?? If anything, a lunar mission makes some sense.

'Mars' is yet one MORE liberal spending boodoggle that is sure to exceed the budget projected by at least 10,000 percent.

[anymouse]

John Pike thinks politically in 1 dimension.

John Logsdon thinks politically in 2 dimensions.

President Bush is thinking politically in 4 dimensions.

[Richard Kimball]

Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

[R. Scott]

Pushing a manned space program worked to help JFK’s popularity, maybe … naw, W’s advisors couldn’t be that naive.

[mo]

IMHO NASA has'nt "the Right Stuff" any longer. Before it became a mature Federal Agency, in its infancy, it tolereted men and women of the right stuff. Mature agencies have little room for the imaginitive free-thinking and independent can-do individuals tha make the world work right. they should close the place down.

[mo]

IMHO NASA has'nt "the Right Stuff" any longer. Before it became a mature Federal Agency, in its infancy, it tolereted men and women of the right stuff. Mature agencies have little room for the imaginitive free-thinking and independent can-do individuals that make the world work right. they should close the place down.

[KevinDavis]

My response to this article is hell no!

Space Ping! This is the space ping list! Let me know if you want on or off this list!

[philetus]

Nasa can save a lot of money if they have the intergalactic roaming module made in China.