http://www.spacedaily.com/news/oped-02q.html

I don't think he liked the debate results too much.

Whether we go next to the Moon or Mars will not be decided by space enthusiasts.

The plain and simple fact is that manned space systems are tremendously complex and thus require government involvement.

These are not some guy with bottle rockets and a tin can. No amount of words will change that.

The public at large has little interest in their governemnt spending their tax money on manned Mars flight.

What they do expect NASA to do is to find the next piece of space stuff before it hits the Earth and kills large numbers of people.

If NASA management does not act on this, then the representatigves of those taxpayers will.

Now the best place to find the next one before it hits is the Moon. Maybe people can be persuaded into settling for less, but since the survival of humantiy is at stake here, in the long run, and it has been and will continue to be a long run, I don't think that the efforts by some to try and sell them second best are likely to be met with enthusiam on their parts.

Bottom line, it's not my job that's a stake, it is theirs.

ep