Henry Spencer wrote:
Sorry, I just can't buy that. Not when he's so visibly unenthusiastic
about it: he hardly ever mentions it in speeches, and he's repeatedly
failed to request even the modest funding levels he originally promised.


But it was the President of the USA that announcedm with great fanfare,
all those promises of returing shuttle and developping the CEV that
would enable man to go to the moon and to Mars.

The fact that he has since not mentioned this and not given it any
funding or priority only outlines that the real goal was different.

Was it just a boost of funding to Boeing/Lockheed dor the development of
yert another attempt at replacing the shuttle ? Or was it a way to
shutdown the manned space programme by returing shuttle and promising
some CEV that will never materialise ?