On 9/23/2011 2:04 PM, Matt Wiser wrote:

About time...I'd rather see Moon first than this Administration's
vague promises of an Asteroid by 2025...when they don't even have a
target destination selected yet!

As to why they would have to go to either the Moon or an asteroid from a
base at one of the L points that would have to be shielded against solar
storms rather than one in LEO is a good question.
But this is all about making big exotic future plans that you can't
afford, not rationality.

Pat