Texas: Moon

This just can't be good. According to the Houston Chronicle, The top aide to Rep. Pete Olson who tracks NASA-related issues is J.T. Jezierski who had this to say:
Jezierski noted that three of the four members of Congress representing Houston's Johnson Space Center, Florida's Kennedy Space Center and Alabama's Marshall Space Center are freshmen in Congress, potentially undercutting their clout.
Undercutting clout? You think? Here at JSC we had Congressman Nick Lampson who was inline to lead the committee that provides oversight to NASA. He was also on a short list to be NASA Administrator. He had worked hard to create bipartisan support for long term funding for NASA, something the agency has desperately needed.

Back in 1989 the Bush administration announced a new direction for NASA called the Space Exploration Initiative with a mission to Mars as it's cornerstone project. Along with this SEI was a price tag of $489 Billion and it was dead before it hit the launching pad.

In 2005 Bush Jr. was much smarter. He called for building a new vehicle (Crew Exploration Vehicle), retire the 20 year old shuttle program, maintain the International Space Station, return to the Moon in 2020, and go to Mars. This time the cost would never be disclosed, instead money would be shuffled from Shuttle to the CEV, from Station to CEV, from science to CEV, etc etc.

From all the speakers including our Senators and Congressman Olson, John Culberson was the only one to make any significant statements besides "space is our future" and "the best and the brightest work at NASA", "think of the children", etc etc at the Augustine Commission here in League City.

Culberson hit the nail on the head when he stated that President Bush in 2004 set NASA on a course for the Moon, Mars, and to explore the universe, but failed to secure adequate funding to do so. So here we are 5 years later with a program that is in disarray because we don't have enough money.

This is pretty interesting about Buzz Aldrin taking communion on the Moon:

The astronaut later described in Guideposts magazine what took place during the radio blackout as Armstrong watched but did not participate.

"I poured the wine into the chalice our church had given me. In the one-sixth gravity of the moon the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup. It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon, and the first food eaten there, were communion elements."

Aldrin proceeded to read from John 15:5.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me."Take that you non-Catholics!