NASA Fights the Long Defeat

Pound360 has a cynical streak. We're a glass-half-empty kind of team. (Don't pity us, it's actually the secret to our happiness.) So when it comes to the future of the US space program, we're pretty glum. Mission to Mars? Congress will slowly cut spending. Don't waste your time. Moon bases? Yeah right.

But NASA is pushing like Frodo up the slopes of Mt. Doom. And we really admire that. For an agency Presidential hopeful Barak Obama sneered is "no longer associated with inspiration," they're pretty much kicking ass.

(By the way, whether Barak Obama has any clue what NASA is up to or not (we're afraid he does not), the agency's Cassini mission is something that even us cynical, half-empties here at Pound360 find deeply inspiring. More Cassini inspiration here.)

Back to the moon.

According to Discover Magazine, "Despite funding concerns, NASA prepares to build a base on the moon, explore it with robots, and maybe even cover it with antennas." NASA teams are testing space suits, heat shields and test driving a new generation of lunar rovers. They're even launching a satellite this Fall, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, intended to scout locations for a moon walk in 2020.

For an inspiring look at NASA's plans to push man deeper into space than ever before, check out this terrific clip from 60 Minutes...