Being a bit of a space buff I was quite happy when Bush announced his plans for the manned exploration of Mars. This article today in the Washington Post details some of the reasons why going to the moon again prior to jumping off to Mars is important:
The recent release of the details of NASA’s proposed plans for human return to the moon in response to President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration” last year has drawn much comment — some positive, some negative and some simply perplexed.
Although the reasons for undertaking the program were clearly articulated in the president’s speech, it is important to reexamine why the moon is its cornerstone and what we hope to achieve by returning there.
The moon is important for three reasons: science, inspiration and resources. All three are directly served by the new lunar return architecture. This program has the potential to make significant contributions to our national economy and welfare.
The moon is a scientific laboratory of extraordinary facility, richness and benefit. The history of our corner of the solar system for the past 4 billion years is preserved and readable in the ancient dust of the lunar surface. This record is lost on the dynamic and ever-changing surface of Earth. Other planets do not record the same events affecting Earth and the moon, including impacts, space particles and the detailed history of our sun. The recovery of this record will let us better understand the impact hazard in the Earth-moon system as well as unravel the processes and evolution of our sun, the major driver of climate and life on Earth.
The moon is a stable platform to observe the universe. Its far side is the only known place in the solar system permanently shielded from Earth’s radio noise. That allows observation of the sky at radio wavelengths never before seen. Every time we open a new spectral window on the universe, we find unexpected and astounding phenomena; there is no reason to expect anything different from the opening of new windows on the universe from the surface of the moon.
The moon is close in space (only three days away) yet a separate world filled with mysteries, landscapes and treasures. By embracing the inspiring and difficult task of living and working there, we can learn how to explore a planetary surface and how the combined efforts of both humans and machines can enable new levels of productive exploration.
In 21st-century America, our existence depends on an educated, technically literate workforce, motivated and schooled in complex scientific disciplines. Tackling the challenges of creating a functioning society off-planet will require not only the best technical knowledge we can muster but also the best imaginations. One cannot develop a creative imagination, the renewable resource of a vibrant society, without confronting and surmounting unknowns and challenges on new frontiers.
Although of fairly ordinary composition, the moon contains the resources of material and energy that we need to survive and operate in space. With its resources and proximity to Earth, the moon is a natural logistics and supply base, an offshore island of useful commodities for use there, in space and ultimately back on Earth.
Water is an extremely valuable commodity in space — in its liquid form, it supports human life, and it can be broken down into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen. These elements make the highest-energy chemical rocket propellant known. Water exists in the dark and cold regions near the poles of the moon. Scientists estimate that each pole contains more than 10 billion tons of water, enough to launch a fully fueled space shuttle once a day, every day, for over 39 years. The ability to make fuel on the moon will allow routine access to Earth-moon space, the zone in which all of our space assets reside[…].
While many people believe space travel to be a waste of money, I just don’t see it. Much of our modern technology was invented due to our space program. The good that these inventions have given to our society far outways the money we spend.
Want some examples?
Firefighter suits
Smoke detectors
Medical imaging
Sun Tiger glasses
Automobile designing tools
Cordless tools
Thermal gloves, boots
Invisible braces
Advanced plastics
Kidney dialysis machines
Freeze-dried food
Thats just a sample. Putting our brightest in charge of inventing new technologies to get us to Mars could bring us inventions we never thought possible.
In the end, even if we did away with NASA it wouldn’t make a dent in our budget:

See author page
I’m with you on supporting NASA. When I was a kid I would put together all the models of rockets and spacecraft. My mother took me and my brothers to see Neil Armstrong’s homecoming in Wapakoneta, Ohio after Apollo 11’s moonlanding.
Back then we had a sense of mission, excitement and adventure that you don’t get from a Space Shuttle mission. Mars would be great, as would going back to the moon.