Lunar News Network

NASA Review Board Questioned

I think this issue (AP - Inspector General: Conflict of interest on NASA review board) should be of concern:

A board set up to review construction of the spaceship to return astronauts to the moon is loaded with employees of the very contractors they are supposed to scrutinize, breaking federal law, a government watchdog says. [...] The board consists of 19 members charged with providing "independent" assessments of the project designed by NASA but built by private firms. However, nearly one-third of them work for those firms. Four of the six contractor employees were also stockholders in companies making money off the NASA project.

This arrangement has the appearance of impropriety and should be corrected to insure public confidence in NASA procedures.

Presidential Space Politics

Wired Science reports on fears that the next president, no matter who wins, may not fully fund or value the space program (Wired News - Presidential Candidates Too Quiet on Space Policy):

But a question that is of increasing concern among space scientists, engineers and supporters is what will the new president's space policy do? For many space voters there is a deep fear that the industry may face yet another deep re-evaluation of priorities, program "deferrals" or cancellations. In my 12 years in the work force I have seen little but that and there has been a huge cost financially, technically, and culturally that we are still bearing.

This report (in contrast to the previously mentioned report), contains one small quote from an actual candidate. Hey, we take what we can get.