The full report can be read here (PDF).  I haven’t had a chance to dive in and read it all yet, but so far it’s very interesting.  I think one thing is clear: without more money, NASA can never do everything that we (space exploration supporters) want.  But since large budget increases do not seem likely anytime soon, it’s really a matter of how to prioritize what resources NASA has.  The task of the Committee was:

…to review the U.S. plans for human spaceflight and to offer possible alternatives.  In doing so, it assessed the programs within the current human spaceflight portfolio; considered capabilities and technologies a future program might require; and considered the roles of commercial industry and our international partners in this enterprise.  From these deliberations, the Committee developed five integrated alternatives for the U.S. human spaceflight program, including an executable version of the current program.  The considerations and the five alternatives are summarized in the pages that follow.
The Committee identified the following questions that, if answered, would form the basis of a plan for U.S. human spaceflight:
1. What should be the future of the Space Shuttle?
2.  What should be the future of the International Space Station (ISS)?
3.  On what should the next heavy-lift launch vehicle be based?
4.  How should crews be carried to low-Earth orbit?
5.  What is the most practicable strategy for exploration beyond low-Earth orbit?

It concludes:

NASA is the most accomplished space organization in the world.  Its human spaceflight activities are nonetheless at a tipping point, primarily due to a mismatch of goals and resources.  Either additional funds need to be made available or a far more modest program involving little or no exploration needs to be adopted.  Various options can be identified that offer exciting and worthwhile opportunities for the human exploration of space if appropriate funds can be made available.  Such funds can be considerably leveraged by having NASA attack its overhead costs and change some of its traditional ways of conducting its affairs—and by giving its management the authority to bring about such changes. The American public can take pride in NASA’s past accomplishments; the opportunity now exists to provide for the future human spaceflight program worthy of a great nation.

The report is over 150 pages long, so it goes into quite a bit more detail than the small bits I’ve quoted here.  I’m interested to hear what some folks, who are more knowledgeable than I, have to say on the subject.  (I’m looking at you Phil Plait!)  Once I’ve read the whole report, I’ll post more of my thoughts.

If I come across any good analysis of the report and it’s possible ramifications I’ll add those to the bottom of this post.  For now, I have included the link to the initial New York Times article.

New York Times article about the report.

Photo by Reed Saxon, AP

This little guy (that’s a full size T-Rex skull behind him) is the tiniest dinosaur ever found in North America.  Isn’t he adorable!?!?  I want one.  Head over to National Geographic to read the whole article.  Just another incredible example of life that has evolved on this planet.

This week The Boston Globe’s photo series The Big Picture compiled some amazing images that Cassini has taken of Saturn and it’s rings and moons.  Words can’t begin to do them justice, so just click the link and check them out.  These are wonderful examples of how amazing our universe is, and why we must continue to support space exploration.

Vaccines are a great example of this.  All scientific evidence supports the fact that vaccines save lives.  They prevent deadly diseases that would otherwise kill thousands of people.  Vaccines do not cause autism.  Vaccines are not dangerous; what rare ill-effects of vaccinations do exist are vastly outweighed by the danger of the diseases they prevent. Amy Wallace’s article: An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All explains this all in great detail.

So I’ve created this blog to do my small part spreading the word for reason.  There are many loud voices supporting psuedo-scientific nonsense, and we must counter those voices with facts and reason.  Hopefully I can help to spread knowledge, debunk nonsense, and even entertain now then.  Thanks for stopping by!