So says astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, easily the most impressive space lobbyist since Carl Sagan, who was not in fact very interested in people-in-space. Tyson is, passionately.
He wants—among other things—to solve our economic and unemployment problems by doubling NASA’s budget. Lots of people would sneer (do sneer) at that, but he’s right about the broad economic stimulus of space exploration. And as impressive as SpaceX and other private space commerce is becoming, it’s not enough.
Space exploration is so much more economically powerful than handing out trillions of dollars to phony solar cell and electric car companies and other Democrat cronies. Or Republican ones, for that matter. Gingrich wanted a base on the moon. Romney sneered. We’re lucky he didn’t get elected, but the one we got is no better and in some ways worse. And I doubt he thinks he works for us.
Tyson notes in his talk at the link above, very accurately I think, that if the Chinese decided to build a military base on the moon, we would have a moon base within nine months. No more 20-years-to-Mars nonsense. I hope they do it, so we can. In the meantime we can dream along with Tyson and hope Obozo listens to him, too, insofar as he listens to anyone. Someday.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
It is hard to argue against the point that space exploration (and military industry in more or less the same way) are powerful venues for technical and scientific progress. That last NASA rover was nothing if not a pure engineering genius at work.
You need to watch his lecture at the link, though it is long. His point is that space exploration (as opposed to going around in circles in low orbit like the shuttles did which was rather boring on the ground) comes to pervade the culture and the economy as entrepreneurs for everything from clothing to toys, mimic what’s going on in space, as they did in the Apollo days. And that’s just the small stuff.
Obama destroyed the manned space program and he will do nothing to bring it back, not even if the Chinese build a base on the moon.
You may be right about the moon base, but Obutthead didn’t really destroy the manned program. He eliminated the shuttle boondoggle (very dangerous, very expensive, and going nowhere except in low orbit circles) and told NASA to give their financial preference to private enterprise. Which is odd for a Socialist, when you think about it. To the extent that he has any principles (can’t be very deep, if any) he just might reverse himself. Or not. I like Tyson’s passion. His ideas may not be as resilient.
“The President works for us” What on Earth ever gave you that idea? Why he is the Silver Surfer of politics you impudent dog!
It wasn’t my idea, which you would know if you read the first sentence of the post. Sheesh, you can lead a horse to water, etc.
Okay – eliminated the shuttle, not too bad. Plans for the future? Anything? Anything?
Try their Web site, it’s all there: http://www.nasa.gov/news/#.UmXmHnBJOAg
Robots, mostly, but they still fly astronauts to the ISS on Russian rockets, something SpaceX is working to take over.