The lunar program is going to get chopped and changed and delayed but the new administration for purely political reasons will continue to support a return to lunar strategy with a tactical play to the Mars Lobby by keeping the two linked.

While the rockets NASA is currently designing to go back to the moon with cannot be used to get to Mars without multiple launches for orbital assembly (which along with refueling depots is the only way to build a space faring civilization); many of the life support systems will be of use and that will be enough to keep the pretty picture exhibits humming with children on family holidays and school excursions.

NASA in its current form is cheap PR for both domestic consumption and international application.

Recent closed meetings have reportedly seen a clear preference among the political class to continue with the lunar strategy while eating the cost of a few more shuttle launches to close the much feared "launch gap".

The wild card is the new bloke who might have been the true maverick candidate but plays Mr Quiet guy as a tactical move to make people feel comfortable as he swans through the crowded lobby to the big seat.

Only time will tell what Obama truly means for US space policy, but real politics and hard nosed economics can only mean that the Fantasy of Mars will stay such for many decades to come. The most we can hope for in manned space is a better understanding of space infrastructure development - with practical goals like fuel depots and other technology enabling developments being placed at the core of any plans costing billions over the next decade.

The only nugget in The Planetary Society report was it's reference to Earth Observation which like the rest of the planet is the real cash cow in this solar system.

From a public policy perspective investing billions in earth observation over the next 4-8 years could save trillions if the skeptics are right and the planet is fine and on course for an ice age some 2000 years from now.

And the flip side works just as well. As we really do need to know if the goose is cooked and the planet is in trouble. If it is real we will need to take substantial actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

And somewhere in the middle we might just find that Man's impact is just what the terraformers recommend we do to mitigate the ice age a few thousand years from now. It takes science - and lot's of it - to answer these questions.

Two decades ago Bush Senior directed NASA in the wake of the first shuttle disaster and the emerging issue of global warming to invest in earth observation to study this issue and let the scientists do their job.

Twenty years later global warming is one of the biggest issues in the global public policy debate. It's time to solve this riddle and have the knowledge to enable the hard decisions to be taken that could cost trillions and change the course of human civilization.

The incoming administration would be wise to consider these issues when considering its space policy and invest in basic knowledge and infrastructure - both of which invariably pay for themselves by their very existence.

Related Links
Beyond the Moon: A New Roadmap for Human Space Exploration in the 21st Century (2.9 MB PDF)
Examining the Vision: Balancing Science and Exploration
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