NASA Money Woes in Regards to Mars Mission

This article from the Montery Herald focuses on how budget woes will affect NASA's Moon and Mars missions. It brings up the point of how space travel is not a budget priority while the country is at war and in a massive deficit. It also explains how replacing the space shuttle is the number one priorty for NASA right now. This article estimates that a space shuttle replacement will be operational by 2014.

Mars Society

Here is a link to the Mars Society's homepage. They are an international organization interested in bringing together those who are like minded about exploring the "red planet".

China and Russia to Mars

China has joined with Russia to send an unmanned probe to survey the surface of Mars.

This will be Russia's 3rd attempt to study the surface of Phobos, perhaps with China's help the launch will not fail before the mission can be completed. Chinese officials did not comment on the specifics of their involvement except that they will provide survey equipment. In the next decade or so when this and other missions to Mars actually launch it will be interesting to see how the 'race to Mars' plays out. Will we cooperate to gain the most information or will competing superpowers emerge, again?

Militarization and Mars

Militarization and The Moon-Mars Program: Another Wrong Turn in Space?

The article I have posted discusses the United States Government's newest space program. This article was published by former NASA analyst Richard Cook of Global Research, a Canadian non profit organization. Cook believes that the United States is going against its 1958 promise to use space for "peaceful purposes and the benefit of mankind". To prove his point, Cook highlights NASA's policy and actions from the Reagan administration till today. Cook is very skeptical of US intentions in space, and he believes that the US will colonize the Moon in order to control access on and off of earth. Cook also points out the blunders of the International Space Station. Overall this article is not skeptical of the technology to go to the Moon and Mars, but instead the intentions of those who are capable of going.

First Post

This blog will report on international issues and Mars.