In a few short weeks we will have a new administration and a new set of mandates to be addressed by President-Elect Obama. Unfortunately, the mandates of major national concern do not seem to include government-funded space exploration.

Mandates that are on the minds of most Americans include the state of our financial institutions, health of the economy, jobs, foreign trade, social security, health care and the environment.

So, where is space in all this? In order to answer this question we must divide space into its applications. There are robotic and human exploration, Earth observation, low-orbit human space flight and national security.

Given the expected budget squeeze and huge deficits, there is little expectation that NASA will receive sufficient funds to carry out all aspects of its moon-Mars exploration program on the current schedule. President-Elect Obama has no stake in, and no obligation to continue, the Vision for Space that President Bush started in 2004.

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Space_And_The_Obama_Administration_999.html