So the last bird has gone up

When the shuttle's program end was announced, I took it personally.  I remember seeing the first launch of Columbia live at the Cape.  I walked away with half the crap from the gift shop (thanks mom).  I wanted to go up in space.  I wanted to go to space camp.  I was inspired.

Then, much like the Moon program, reality sets in.  Problems at home, politics, budgets, public interest, risk and many other factors play into the end of an era. Politics grinds me the most.  Every President seems to have their own take on NASA's goals.  Given the amount of research/technology that is produced for a space flight mission, I'm surprised NASA has gone as far as it has with such a rotating mission statement.  So what is the right thing for NASA to do?

The private sector is not even close to having regular trips into space and certainly not on the scale of NASA or Russia's space Program.  However, there is a market.  It can be done, eventually.    NASA has in fact done near earth orbit.  The science is dry.  Much like how we outsource building our goods to other countries, going into low earth orbit, is beneath what NASA should do.  If China can make our beloved iToys, they can Greyhound our American asses to space too.  NASA needs, and will under the Obama plan, to focus on research for faster, efficient, and safe transportation.  NASA needs a valid long term goal for out of orbit travel.   Visiting the moon is nice.  But not good enough.  Visiting the moon , installing a telescope on the dark side of the moon while harvesting some O3, yeah that sounds good.  But the Orion program just wanted to take us back to the moon, and do the Apallo program again, but with way less budget.

Keep in mind, this is not the end.  There are plans to put a human on an asteroid.  There are plans to launch more robots into space.  Plans will continue.  The problem is will the Americans pay thier fucking taxes to support such ventures?