Free Republic

A week after U.S. forces pulled out of Iraq, Iran has announced its willingness to expand its military and security links with Baghdad. The AFP reports Iranian General Hassan Firouzabadi praised the "forced departure" of U.S. troops, saying it ""was due to the resistance and determination of the Iraqi people and the government."

..former astronaut Cernan says cutting the Constellation program will relegate the U.S. to being second in the world of space exploration. With the retirement of the space shuttle in 2010, the U.S. would have to rely on Russia to take American astronauts to and from "our own space station," The Constellation program followed logical steps that would break new ground by sending the U.S. to Mars, added Cernan. He also said he believes that taking away the dream of human space exploration will have a negative impact on education. "We have a responsibility in our country to inspire our kids...

President Barack Obama has ditched US plans to return to the moon and hitched NASA's future to private industry in a budget calling for the space agency to stay close to Earth and do research. In budget proposals for NASA, Obama proposed increasing funding for the space agency by AU$6.7 billion over five years. But he proposed dropping the massively over-budget program to develop a new-generation rocket called Constellation, put in place by former president George W. Bush and which had been aimed at taking Americans back to the moon. Citing a report issued last year by a commission set...