When the White House releases its budget proposal Monday, there will be no money for the Constellation program [article link] that was supposed to return Americans to the moon by the year 2020. Including the Ares V cargo rocket, everything is being scrapped in an attempt to "save money." Instead, NASA will be told to focus on Earth science, which includes "climate change." One administration official was quoted as saying, "We certainly don't need to go back to the moon." Meanwhile, India goes forward with its moon mission with a launch date in 2016.

I have to wonder if President Obama has given any thought to the number of jobs that NASA creates directly and indirectly. NASA will lose approximately 7000 jobs at Cape Canaveral, and about 15000 jobs nationwide. NASA has caused the invention of so many different things. From the invention of the calculator to ingestible toothpaste to wireless headsets (to name just three) are a direct result of NASA ingenuity. NASA gets so little money from the federal budget. But, the end results are enormous. There is not another federal agency even in the same ballpark insofar as being cost effective. It does not make sense to me. Of course, a $780 billion bailout that was supposed to keep unemployment at less than 8% didn't make sense to me either. And, how's that whole stimulus package working out for you now, President Obama?