[FPSPACE] Possible Death of the USA's plan to return to the Moon

[Keith Gottschalk]

>>> "pjp" <pjp961 at svol.net> 01/15/07 4:25 PM >>>
>What makes a program viable?  Do Power Point presentations with sound
>effects?
>Or is it.
>The concrete poured, the steel and aluminum milled and cut, the
man-hours
>paid in direct consequence of work on the project, and the money
invested?

   No, none of those.
   One thing & one thing only:
- the political will of those with power to secure & sustain a
multi-year budget.

  Since Dwayne Day went into suspended animation on FPSPACE (but not in
Spaceflight :) 
I might be the only FPSPAC-er with a professional qualification as a
political scientist.
Vietnam killed Apollo in middle age.
Will Iraq will abort Ares / Orion before birth?
I'm not a specialist in US politics, so you guys had better lobby over
there across the pond  :)

   Nationalist pride seems to be making China raise a budget towards
unmanned lunar exploration, with India slowly following in its
footsteps. Maybe if either of them get as far as a space station in
lunar orbit, with lots of robotic lunar rovers, the budget tap might
re-open in Washington D.C. 2017?  2027? We of course also need to watch
actual commitment of budget by the two Asian giants each year.

   Was George Bush (Senior) speech "Back to the Moon, this time to
stay" about 1993?

Keith
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