TO THE MOON
A thousand years from now, when history looks back at the Bush Administration and the United States of the early 21st Century, will it record that taxes were cut and the economy recovered, or that the War on Terrorism was a major issue in the election, that Howard Dean didn't know the Soviet Union ceased to exist, or will it record that the most powerful nation on Earth used its wealth to jump start man's expedition to the stars? I'm sure that in a thousand years, history will record the cold war itself as merely a footnote to explain the start of space exploration.

On the 100 year anniversary of heavier than air flight, President Bush may articulate a new vision for space exploration, starting with a return to the moon and possibly a more permanent presence there, which would lead to answers to questions about the origin of our planet and solar system, how to live for long periods of time in space, how to develop more efficient propulsion systems and possibly an answer to the question: are we alone?

If the president articulates this vision, it will be a bolder vision than President Kennedy's in 1961, formulated solely to further science and mankind's desire to better itself -- not to show our superiority to a cold war adversary. And as President Kennedy said, we would pursue the moon again and then Mars, not because these things are easy, but because they are hard.

Successful space exploration will define who mankind is, and what mankind can do, and I can think of no better use of the resources of government. I hope the president does decide to send man back to the moon and that he can win over the short-sighted, non-dreamers that he'll find on both sides of the political aisle.

I'll be watching Spacecraft to see what the science community thinks.