Moon article in WaPo

This article from the Washington Post is positive on the Moon-Mars plan outlined by Bush's space exploration plan. The Moon is more of a harsh environment but if we don't have a base there the Chinese will. And it is a stepping stone to Mars. Also, the Helium-3 can be mined for resources. HT to Blogs for Bush here..

Not having to pay as dearly for mistakes is one key reason why the moon is an integral part of the Bush initiative. The other, as even scientists point out, is that if the United States does not return to the moon, others will.

"The new thing is China, and they've announced they're going to the moon. The Europeans want to go; the Russians want to go; and if we don't go, maybe they'll go with the Chinese," Mars Institute Chairman Pascal Lee said in an interview. "Could we bypass the moon and go to Mars while India and China are going to the moon? I don't think so."

Bush's 2004 "Vision for Space Exploration," by calling for a lunar return and a subsequent Mars mission, set goals, which, if achieved, would keep the United States in the forefront of space exploration for decades.