No Sugar for This Bad Medicine

This sucks.  Wired Science is reporting that cuts to NASA's budget are leaving the agency's planetary science program in a state of limbo.  Questions are being raised about a number of slated missions and NASA's ability to carry out these missions without substantial help from the European Space Agency.  These questions are the result of a drop in NASA's budget of nearly 5% from last year.  And all of this comes on the heels of NASA scrapping their shuttle program, leaving our astronauts to rely on the Russian space program to travel to and from the International Space Station.  It's worth noting that this is a program that has recently seen some notable setbacks, with a Soyuz rocket - the same rocket that launches manned missions into low-earth orbit - crashing shortly after launch in August and the failed launch of a Mars moon probe earlier this month.

I guess this doesn't come as much of a surprise, since I've already discussed the cuts that were anticipated for the budgets of NASA and the NSF.  It's still disappointing, though.  NASA provides us with a wealth of information and new technologies.  They have been analyzing climate change for a number of years, tracking hurricanes, and leading the way in discovering alternative sources of energy.  And now it seems as though our lawmakers are methodically and quietly strangling the agency until there's nothing of substance left.  It's sad to imagine living in a country that has the means but lacks the will to explore the universe, visit other worlds, and discover the wonders that exist right here on our quaint little planet.