OBAMA’S SPACE PROGRAM; more conservative than Bush’s space program.

Rand Simberg, who blogs at Transterrestial Musings, argues in favor of the Obama plan for restructuring America’s manned space program, believing it is, at least, a (poorly conceived and badly executed) step in the right direction toward space colonization.

Others, including Neil Armstrong and many in the astronaut corps, strongly disagree.

In the long run, I have to agree with Simberg. Manned spaceflight will never be more than a ‘lab curiosity’ until the next Pan Am starts scheduled suborbital and orbital service. In the short term, though, the astronauts are correct; Constellation is needed to ‘keep the dream alive’ until Pan American World Spaceways is in operation.

The pity is that this argument should have been had - and settled - 15 years ago.