Back to the Moon

CNN:

NASA unveiled plans on Monday to return humans to the moon by 2018 at a cost of $104 billion. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin showcased a mission to the moon in an Apollo-style capsule sitting atop rockets fashioned from shuttle components. 'The space program is a long-term investment in our future,' Griffin said. The new lunar program would begin in 2018 by landing four astronauts on the moon for a seven-day stay. The last lunar landing was Apollo 17 in 1972. The centerpiece of NASA's moonshot is the new spaceship known as the crew exploration vehicle, or CEV. It will be 'designed to carry four astronauts to and from the moon, support up to six crew members on future missions to Mars, and deliver crew and supplies to the international space station,' according to NASA's Web site.

Going back to the Moon, and then Mars is, I believe extremely important. Frankly, I would like to see this a happen a lot faster. The first time we did in within a decade, 2018 seems pretty far away to me. I believe that we will be able to partially terraform Mars, which will give humanity a second basket in which to keep our eggs.