Neil Armstrong Speaks

Neil Armstrong has largely stayed out of the public spotlight since Apollo 11, but he has entered the debate about the future of NASA's manned spaceflight program this year, first by joining James Lovell and Eugene Cernan to write "The Commanders' Letter," and now by testifying before a Senate committee.

Armstrong, 79, opposes President Obama's proposed plan for NASA, arguing it will cede leadership in space exploration to other nations. Armstrong suggested the President was "poorly advised" and that the decision to go with the new approach was taken by a small group around the President acting in secret. The White House countered by saying Mr. Obama heard from a wide range of people before making the decision. However true that may be-- and it's possible the President heard from many people while only a few people were involved in the final decision-making-- it's probably fair to say many interested people were surprised when the new plan was announced last winter. If that is fair, it would seem to cut against The White House counter.

Armstrong said he supported getting the commercial sector more involved, but he wasn't sure it was ready to take over manned spaceflight. That is clearly the point upon which the Obama Plan would succeed or fail, assuming Congress doesn't add ideas of its own before manned spaceflight policy is finally set.