The last manned mission to the moon was in 1972. They left a plaque on the moon's surface baring the signature of then U.S. President Richard M. Nixon - megalomaniac. Not to be out done, billionaire boys club president and Richie Rich protege George W. Bush wants to send Americans - or at least American outsourced - astronauts back to the moon by 2020, with the ultimate goal being a manned mission to Mars at some point before the Chinese have set up a casino resort on Icaria Planum.

To that end "NASA is canceling or delaying a number of satellites designed to give scientists critical information on the earth's changing climate and environment." Research programs designed to help earthbound weather forecasters detect severe weather patterns more quickly and accurately have been canceled to allow more funding for Bush's exploration initiatives. According to the Boston Globe, "Almost every planned earth studying mission, all that have some contribution to understanding global warming, has been affected."

Most significantly, the launch of the Deep Space Climate Observatory, a satellite intended to study Earth's climate, and make that data publicly available, has been shelved...again. The brainchild of former Vice President Al Gore, the satellite was researched, designed, and built years ago with American taxpayer dollars. It's just never been launched.

This is politics at its worst. There's no fear the satellite will find incontrovertible evidence of global climate change due to human activity. That already exists. The fear is that an idea dreamed up by Gore will be successful and thus call into question the "legacy" of this administration. Perish the thought!

I understand the drive to explore other worlds. I support that endeavor, but not if it means risking our own planet. We can not afford the hubris of this administration when it comes to the lives and well being of future generations of humanity.

Labels: Mars, NASA