How can an astronomer not be excited by this???

Amen!

But more than that, I'm a little disappointed by the reception the initiative is getting by some people even here at the 'Zone. We're supposed to be the enthusiasts, fer goodness sakes! That implies enthusiasm!

It's becoming clear that there are those out there who would like nothing more than to kill this initiative dead, dead, dead. They'll latch onto any means to acheive their end, and they'd be only too happy to exploit any division in the ranks of space program supporters. We're still seeing it in the mainstream media. On the radio this morning I heard that "Even NASA supporters are wondering where all the money's going to come from." All the money. They're continuing to imply that the issue is one of where to find additional funding, rather than how to re-allocate already ear-marked funds.

IMHO, we've got to pull together as a community or this amazing chance to re-invigorate humanity's space efforts is going to wither before our eyes.