Rocket science

It has been 40 years since many of watched the blurry -- and amazing -- live TV images of the first man on the moon. Since them, the U.S. space program has focused on an orbiting space station, shuttle trips and unmanned exploration of nearby planets and asteroids.

Near the end of George Bush's presidency, there was a renewed commitment to return to the surface of the moon. Now the Obama administration has scrapped that plan along with all other manned spaceflights.

You might think this is a money-saving move, but it's not. It's a money-diverting situation. Billions of dollars will be diverted from the planned moon trip to development of new rocket science for future spaceflights.

Man's scientific know-how has always been measured by its ability to overcome seemingly impossible achievements. Our understanding of our universe and many areas of technology have been profoundly influenced by our achievements in space. Building a better rocket will, no doubt, be of tremendous importance some day.

But a nation that is spending trillions of dollars it doesn't have might want to consider the possibility of reducing or suspending costly space programs rather than diverting those funds. It doesn't take a rocket scientist. ...