The new NASA budget seeks $105 million to start an effort to bring a small asteroid into lunar orbit, where it would be visited by astronauts-- sort of bringing the mountain to Mohammed. It's a creative approach that has value for planetary defense, space commercialization, and building a space infrastructure. What it won't necessarily do is get humans deeper into space than they've ever been.
Some members of Congress, however, argue that the next goal for NASA manned spaceflight should be the establishment of a lunar base by 2022, saying settling the Moon is key to moving out into the Solar System. That's a strong argument.
Why not bring private enterprise into a comprehensive effort to move out, and do both?
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