Likewise, I found it puzzling that he found no time to trumpet the so-called "Renewed Spirit of Discovery." It seems like a perfect topic to include in the State of the Union Address. Perhaps because he recently spoke about this issue, he felt he didn't need to bring it up again. I really hope this isn't an election year tactic. I am curious to see what the next president will do in this regard. As we all know, NASA has been underfunded for years, and I am glad to finally see some increases.
Also, is it true that the Hubble servicing mission has been cancelled? It has been widely reported, but I have yet to see an official press release (I haven't looked too hard). I like the new focus of NASA (human exploration), but I guess I would like to have my cake and it too. An exception should be made for the Hubble, after all, how many people has it inspired to look into the heavens and wonder. Flat out, it has provided humanity with the best visual images of outer space. Becuase humans are in large part visual creatures, this point cannot be understated. I still remember the first time I viewed the "Hubble Deep Field" image and was informed of the scale/field of view. Whew!
The good news is, in our lifetimes, we should be able to greatly expand our knowledge of the solar system, and perhaps set foot on other worlds. Telescopes like the James Webb, will hopefully provide us with numerous images that will continue to boggle the mind. Also, we should be able to begin to unravel the puzzles of space time, dark energy, and dark matter.
We live in exciting times indeed. It's too bad we are stuck on Terra Firma. I like to think of it as the great cosmic tease - we can "see"/study so much, but we are in large part physically confined to our solar system.
Hopefully, someday, we will develop the technology and have the wherewethall to leave our tiny solar system in the Milky Way.
Sorry for the rant, just a few things on my mind.
Vince