Money

Last week, NASA Administrator Mike Griffin told a Senate committee that an extra $2 billion over two years could speed up the development of the Orion spacecraft and Ares booster.

Currently, the space shuttle is scheduled to be retired in 2010, and Orion will be ready in 2015. In that five years, NASA will have no way to deliver its astronauts to orbit. Plans call for NASA to buy flghts for its astronauts from private companies-- none of those envisioned vehicles exist yet-- or buy flights from Russia. NASA astronauts depending on the Soyuz to get into space would be deeply symbolic on many levels. Of course, that situation could give Russia a temporary veto over U. S. manned spaceflight. With the extra money, Orion could be ready by 2013.

That extra money is far from certain, however. Historically, at least since the Apollo buildup, Congress has kept NASA on a short budgetary leash. During that time, however, NASA had no long term mandate. Now, it has. Congress' decision on the additional funding could tell us how solid the plans for the Moon and Mars really are.