How did I miss this and what is it?
By FRmail or posts, please let me know, am going to the kitchen for new tinfoil.
NASA has been drifting and dreaming for 30 years. This is the fault of Congress and the White House both, but NASA management has been less than enthusiastic about manned exploration of space beyond low earth orbit since the Apollo landings. They could have a base on the moon already, could have had it there for 20 years, and have done it easily within the budget they have been given.
This could be linked to economic matters. The American worldwide lead in science is gradually eroding, actually more quickly the past couple of years. American science is the main advantage the country has. Dropping that kind of space exploration in favor of small robots that a handful of university laboratories can build means that fewer are studying science, math, and engineering in college. We're about out of gas, running on fumes.
Last year the Senate recognized NASA as one of the 4 worst-run government programs, and it is by far the largest of those four.