And unless we start writing our Congressmen / Senators it will remain stalled.

I've already written, have you?

That may be one way to get the point across that we as americans value the space vision but that still will not change the Earth bound issues nor will it lessen them. There must be some other means to funding space exploration or reducing the cost of doing so if we are to explore beyound Earth orbit within the current budgets.

I'll make this point over and over again if I have too. The most crucila goal is not Moon/Mars, but dramatically lowering the cost of Erth-to-orbit launch. Once that is accomplished, many good things will flow from it.

Every one tends to use the old attage that the more flights you have the lower that the cost will drop. I do not agree with this concept totally since it assumes automizing of a process that is mainly hand assembling of every peice of the rockets as to date that we build this nation or the others. Cheap labor will not be the solution to lowering the costs of a rocket totally either.

Every one tends to use the old attage that the more flights you have the lower that the cost will drop. I do not agree with this concept totally since it assumes automizing of a process that is mainly hand assembling of every peice of the rockets as to date that we build this nation or the others. Cheap labor will not be the solution to lowering the costs of a rocket totally either.

No wonder Nasa can not get the moneies that it will need to carry out the vision.

"NASA's finances in disarray; auditor quits
Former auditor blasts breakdown in financial controls. As NASA sets course for the moon and Mars, the space agency's finances are in disarray, with significant errors in its last financial statements and inadequate documentation for $565 billion posted to its accounts, its former auditor reported."
Article on msnbc site,

Now back to the other side of the budget issue.
Yesterdays article NASA systems: Houston, we have a problem
http://gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/25988-1.html

"Worse yet, NASA mistakes in implementing the ERP system it bought from SAP have perpetuated the agency's lack of adequate financial controls, GAO told the Government Reform Committee Subcommittee on Government Efficiency and Financial Management."
"Gregory Kutz, GAO's director of financial management and assurance, said the IFMPS was not built with the needs of program managers and cost estimators in mind."

"As a result, he said, "NASA will continue to have two sets of books.""

Now if this were a business or even a civilian the Irs would have had a field day, raking you over the coles until your body was raw. Then they still would have penalized you for all you are worth.

How can Nasa be allowed to do this double set of books?

I think the NASA program should be horrendously downsized because the things this country needs to worry about financially is NOT that. We need to worry about social security, the war, and schools.