New Discoveries and Cut Budgets

The Casinni craft found liquid water on one of Saturn's small moons, Enceladus. New reports show liquid water venting from reservoirs near the surface, perhaps only tens of meters below the frigid crust. Where there's liquid water, there's the possibility of life.

Of course, this couldn't come at worse time for NASA, with 50 percent cuts in 2007 for the astrobiology program, which probes how and why life emerged on Earth and whether life arose elsewhere in the universe.

This is a far cry from President Bush's very vocal commitment to space exploration just a little over a year ago, where he promised to "give NASA a new focus and vision for future exploration" and "extend a human presence across our solar system."

I understand that priorities have changed in the past year, and other situations in the world require more resources. But God Damnit, don't go and make public statements like this and get geeks like me all excited!!

After all, "America is proud of our space program. The risk takers and visionaries of this agency have expanded human knowledge, have revolutionized our understanding of the universe, and produced technological advances that have benefited all of humanity."

Bush is now making it harder for those "risk takers and visionaries" to find a place to work. There hasn't been any real commitment to space since Reagan's Star Wars program. NASA barely made it through the better-cheaper-faster days but still managed some amazing feats of exploration (the rovers, Cassini, Stardust). The only hope we have is that same dedicated and resourceful people that made those triumphs possible haven't themselves lost all hope.