I just finished reading the CAIB Report, and I'm thinking about some comments to post later. I've also uploaded the report to the Zone's Columbia section, in the form of the complete report augmented by a clickable Table of Contents plus individual parts; it's here.

Lampson's plan somewhat parallels the CAIB's suggestions for the long-term future of the space program, and he invokes it in his remarks. The first part of his bill describes a plan to build a solid transportation capability to LEO. The way the CAIB put it (italics theirs, bold mine):

The report of the Augustine Committee commented, “It seems that most Americans do support a viable space program for the nation –but no two individuals seem able to agree upon what that space program should be. ”4 The Board observes that none of the competing long-term visions for space have found support from the nation 's leadership, or indeed among the general public.

...

The Board does observe that there is one area of agreement among almost all parties interested in the future of U. S. activities in space: The United States needs improved access for humans to low-Earth orbit as a foundation for whatever directions the nation 's space program takes in the future. Board 's view, a full national debate on how best to achieve such improved access should take place in parallel with the steps the Board has recommended for returning the Space Shuttle to flight and for keeping it operating safely in coming years. Recommending the content of this debate goes well beyond the Board 's mandate, but we believe that the White House, Congress, and NASA should honor the memory of Columbia 's crew by reflecting on the nation 's future in space and the role of new space transportation capabilities in enabling whatever space goals the nation chooses to pursue. All members of the Board agree that America 's future space efforts must include human presence in Earth orbit, and eventually beyond, as outlined in the current NASA vision. Recognizing the absence of an agreed national mandate cited above, the current NASA strategic plan stresses an approach of investing in “transformational technologies ” that will enable the development of capabilities to serve as “stepping stones ”for whatever path the nation may decide it wants to pursue in space. ... The Board does believe that NASA and the nation should give more attention to developing a new “concept of operations ”for future activities –defining the range of activities the country intends to carry out in space –that could provide more specificity than currently exists. Such a concept does not necessarily require full agreement on a future vision, but it should help identify the capabilities required and prevent the debate from focusing solely on the design of the next vehicle.

Volume 3 page 209

They're clear that we can decide later where to go after we get a solid infrastructure for LEO in place. Seems like the debate here is already started about where to go after that, and I wonder if maybe we space advocates should keep quiet (in public) about that for now. Sure, Lampson's proposals are open for legitimate debate and I sure think that the proper longterm goal is Mars; but he probably won't see his plan implemented 20 years from now as written today anyway. But what he is doing is useful in helping to define "the range of activities the country intends to carry out in space". Perhaps we should be grateful for any plan at all beyond going around in circles.

The important thing is to get some plan passed by Congress to achieve the basic first step. The Moon's a more politically-acceptable medium-range goal, for now, precisely because it is small potatoes and within the American comfort zone because we already know we can do it.

OTOH, remember how GHW Bush tainted the idea of going to Mars by prematurely proposing NASA's $400 billion "Battlestar Galactica" fleet of interplanetary spaceliners sailing majestically off to Mars. Lovely vision, but as a result now, proposing Mars as "the" goal is guaranteed to scare the beejezus out of vision-free politicians and scuttle the whole deal. Can we let it be for now?

We can grumble all we want about having to learn to walk again, but that's what we have to do if we're ever to run for Mars and the stars. Suck it in, cadets, for the sake of the program!