Last dance for manned-flight at NASA?

I hope not. Pew Research: "On the eve of the final mission of the U.S. space shuttle program, most Americans say the United States must be at the forefront of future space exploration. Fifty years after the first American manned space flight, nearly six-in-ten (58%) say it is essential that the United States continue to be a world leader in space exploration." That's good to hear. But the Final Frontier isn't for the faint of heart. Nor is it cheap. I wonder how these same Americans would respond if asked about their willingness to foot the bill for staying Number One in space. Not many, I'd expect, given our economic doldrums. But sadly, we're drifting back to Sputnik mode. That is, we're being reactive rather than proactive about space. And I'm afraid we won't get off our collective butts until the People's Republic of China plants its own flag on the Moon. They put a second probe into lunar orbit last year and plan to land a rover in 2013. The forward-looking Chinese are after lunar reserves of iron, plus helium-3, an ideal fuel for future nuclear fusion power plants. And they're closer to realizing their goals than you think. Whatever happened to our own derring-do? America could use some robust leadership on this, Mr. Obama, before we're choking on Chinese lunar dust.