Today our wonderful president announced his plan for moving the US space program into high gear, with a whopping 1 billion dollars in additional funds allocated to NASA for the next five years and an overall budget of 12 billion including diverted funds from other NASA projects. Admittedly this is not supposed to be the full cost of putting a permanent base on the moon, but it is a significant (5 of 11 years, including most of the R&D) fraction of it. In contrast the original Apollo program cost 25.4 billion in 1960's-70's dollars. If anyone believes that Bush's numbers will give a practical result I'd really like to see an explanation.

          Almost all practical plans I have seen for a permanent presences on the moon involve three separate segments with specialized craft. An earth to low earth orbit launch vehicle, an orbit to orbit transfer vehicle, and a lunar orbit to lunar surface landing vehicle. The simplest way to do this is have established stations at each transfer point that can be used to service and turn around the relevant vehicle. One of these already exists in part and if finished would make a useful transfer platform, yet Bush is planning to pull the US out of the ISS before 2010. Correct, this suddenly pro-space president is planning to quit supporting the only established off earth presence in existence.
          Don't take this to mean that I don't support space travel, if you know me at all, you've heard me go off in favor of the subject. Simple logic suggests a presence in space is necessary (you can ask the dinosaurs why, if nothing else). The resources available in orbit (solar energy and micro-gravity conditions) and the asteroids (iron, aluminum [bauxite ore], titanium, you name it) would allow humanity to exist and expand without continuing to damage the planet. Already satellites allow weather prediction that saves lives and the benfits can only increase the more we explore and learn. I very much favor an active US presence in space. I do think, however, that the effort should be made in a serious manner, and not as a half-assed grandstanding move by a president who is desperately trying to get re-elected.