I make no claim to expertise or knowledge, but as I see it NASA just seems like an organisation with no purpose. With the cancellation of any plans for future manned exploration of Mars or a revisit to the Moon and if commercial entities can get us into orbit much cheaper and efficiently: what, if any is the point of Nasa? ( I'd be genuinely interested in hearing any answers from more informed commenters.)

Pork Delivery System. That was one of its founding missions, and it's now it's sole mission.

Comnenus: "what, if any is the point of Nasa?"

I thought that has already been announced? NASA is to be the bridge between the West and the Musslemen.

Phelps: Well if only Nasa's pork delivery system could deliver meat as effectively to the Moon or Mars as it can to some of the southern states. Though my question was more faux innocent than anything.

APL: Yeah I have heard that news. And not before time if you ask me, did you know the third man who everyone forgets from the 69' landings was muslim? Why do you think no one remembers him? Its institutionalised Islamophobia I tell you!!

And what precisely leads you to make two incorrect statements about Michael Collins?

If you are really interested, you can buy his autobiography.

In case anyone is too lazy to read, Collins was Episcopalian and the biggest religious problem he had was that his wife was Catholic.

Dale, my apologies, I was just joking. I have the deepest respect for Michael Collins and indeed for those astronauts (and Cosmonauts for that matter) who came before and after the Apollo 11 mission, who are too often neglected in popular culture at least.

Comnenus wrote:

With the cancellation of any plans for future manned exploration of Mars or a revisit to the Moon...

That's not true. The Vision for Space Exploration is still in effect, though it's been modified slightly by President Obama. It's just that Constellation, NASA's program to implement the VSE, was cancelled due to bureaucratic incompetence. The new budget proposal, should it be enacted by Congress, would likely have NASA sending a manned mission to either the moon or Mars a decade sooner than Constellation would have, and for less money.

Mike

Wait, if the third man was muslim, then who are the 39 steps?

The thirtynine steps must be dance instructions. Instead of defecting, people got caught up in the new dance craze, forgot to watch where they were going, and got killed by drowning.

Correction: Elon Musk made a correction in his conversation with Rand Simberg that Mukasic's presentation was not any sort of formal plan, that he personally thinks nuclear thermal is a terrible choice for interplanetary propulsion (he apparently has been drinking Kirk Sorenson's kool aid) but that they continued working on Merlin 2 design work and are hoping they can reach an agreement with NASA on development money for the engine and for the Super Heavy Falcon X model as an alternative to a reincarnation of Ares V or other shuttle derived monstrosities.