We've (didn't you know, you're a part too) decided that our next ambition regarding space should be to set foot once again, this time permanently, on the moon, and for the first time on Mars. How exciting. Being a science buff or whatever this excites me slightly, though not significantly becasue I can't imagine many surprises await us there. Funny thing was yesterday I listened to the radio on my way somewhere, as the NPR staff and guests debated the pros and cons of Bush's new mission. They discussed the motives for the announcement (namely reelection), the actual scientific ramifications (is there life on mars?), and the real reasons (military, duh, wtf?). This of course is scary, the very real militarization of space. Frightening. I am not so frightened because I have read many very bright people talk about how far we are from this becoming a reality, rather it will just absorb money without results for the foreseeable future. Whatev. The thing I wanted to mention was that on the NPR they discussed where the money would come from; Bush hasn't allocated any extra money for this shift in paradigms, meaning NASA must fund it from currently allocated resources. They talked about what would be cut and what not. Hubble was brought up. In case you aren't aware, the Hubble telescope is responsible for verifying many of the newest and most encompassing of astrophysic experiments. In CNN's words, "The bus-size telescope...has been sending home spectacular images of the universe for over a decade and [has] forced the rewriting of astronomy textbooks..." Impressive, huh? Well on NPR they decided that defunding of Hubble just wasn't an option. Apparently they didn't consult the source very carefully. Today we have
