The article said:

"The groups, such as the Space Frontier Foundation, believe that NASA should be restructured to involve the private sector at all levels, to "let NASA do the exploring, but leave the operations to those who do such things best – American industry".

The basic problem with this concept is that the industries who are supposed to do this, won't do it out of their own pockets, but out of the pockets of the taxpayers. The industries that the Space Frontier Foundation wants to have do it is private industry start-ups which haven't even gotten off the ground yet, let along manages and flown anything as complex as this will be.

In my more cynical moments, I look at Bush's previous stand on space (he didn't have one) and the fact that he said in his speech (about 20 minutes in the speech, if you want to go listen to it online) that they would review NASA's progress "in the next 5 years" and reassess the project. Sounds like me that they're shutting down the space program by letting them down easy, since with a time print 20 some years long, you're just still assessing the problems in the first 5 years. (As I said, in my more cynical moments.....;-) )

Don't see how the unmanned part of NASA can continue -- if $11 Bil of the $18.8 Bil NASA current yearly budget is to be diverted to this, the remainder won't fund the work currently being done by the 8 NASA centers, in unmanned flight. Let alone fund the 6 centers not doing manned stuff now. Close JPL?!?!? God Forbid!

SC