Countdown to the Budget...

The world's space community -- and the public -- is awaiting the Obama Administration's new plan for human and robotic space flight. We expect the plan will be unveiled on Monday (Feb 1) as part of the formal submission to Congress of the Administration's proposed budget for the Federal Government.

We think it will be a new plan. Rumors are flying around about the future of the Ares rockets, the Constellation program, plans for humans to return to the Moon, plans for humans to go forward into interplanetary space toward Mars, the use of commercial rockets for human spaceflight, and, of course, speculating whether NASA's budget will go up or down.

We at The Planetary Society are on top of it! On Monday, The Planetary Society will issue a statement on the proposed policy changes and the FY2011 NASA budget submission. You'll be able to find the details here on our website. We will let our friends in the U.S. Congress know our position, and I will be asking you to contact your own Congressman and make sure our voices are heard.

Our exact message to Congress will depend on what the Administration proposes -- but our position is well known: it was set out in our report, Beyond the Moon: A Roadmap to Space. It was a prescient report, since so much of it was echoed by the Administration-appointed Augustine Committee. Let's hope the Administration has a similar vision.

Please check our website next week and watch for our e-mail about how you can get involved.