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February 9, 2010 (LPAC)—Following a one-day weather delay, Space Shuttle Endeavour lifted off from Cape Canaveral early in the morning on Feb. 8, and will deliver supplies and new hardware to the International Space Station. Three space walks, or EVAs, will reposition some existing station hardware, and install new capabilities, such as the European-made cupola, which will provide stunning views for the astronauts of the Earth and the universe, and approaching spacecraft. Since just one week ago, the Administration proposed a NASA budget which eliminates the return to the Moon, it is ironic that one of the items carried on Endeavour, which is being "returned to space" and will be kept at the station, is a rock collected at the Sea of Tranquility during the Apollo 11 first manned landing on the Moon. At the end of this mission, the station will have received the last major U.S. component, and will be 90% complete.

Building an Earth-orbiting space station has been included in exploration plans since the 1960s. The major purpose was conceived to be to enable the manned exploration of the Solar System. The station would be used to check out vehicles on their way to the Moon, Mars, or beyond. It could be used to fuel-up such craft before they started their journey. Scientific experiments on board would provide answers to questions about physiological, and psychological, challenges in space flight. New technologies would be tested out close to home, before being deployed far away.

Under the Obama/Orszag plan, there is no "far away." While worthwhile scientific work is, and can be, done on the station, what is its purpose, if we are not going anywhere?