I may be kind of skeptical, but I think it will take the extra $1
billion President Bush has pledged for NASA just to keep it going at
current levels. Here's why:

Everything is classified now. Even technical journal articles have to
be vetted before they are published. Especially anything having to do
with orbital mechanics, or any other aspect of "rocket science" that
applies to missiles or that is somehow related to SDI so that it's
classified.

The problem with high security operations is that progress is
inversely proportional to security level. The higher the security,
the less the competition, and the less incentive scientists have to
produce high quality work. Anybody who does a very good job is
harassed by his or her peers for making them look bad so, if anything,
there is negative incentive. Moreover, the whole system is ratcheted
so that high performing scientists will be booted out of the system
leaving only the low horsepower people left.

Consequently, with all the new security operations in place since 9/11
the $1 billion Bush thinks will get us to the moon and Mars will only
pay for more security, lazier scientists, and an underperforming space
program.

Bill Clark
http://home.austin.rr.com/whcii/