The frustrations of a space enthusiast

I think this article from the Atlantic pretty well encapsulates both a lot of what's wrong with the state of space exploration today and the incredible frustrations associated with being a proponent of the development of space.

The last time this country did something really innovative in regards to its manned space program was in the mid 1970s, with the development of the Shuttle as a "space truck." Since then, we've been content to pop off a couple of hundred million dollars for new science satellites or Mars rovers every few years, while now - in 2010, thirty years after the Space Shuttle was introduced - all we've managed to do is plunk ourselves in Low Earth Orbit on a multinational boondoggle that is scheduled only to last the decade.

I'm in agreement that the problem lies with the way NASA is run and the budgetary constraints of the government; in fact, it's a testament to the way that space captures the imagination that NASA budgets haven't been cut further. So really, we need to start looking at new models for space exploration.

Again, as the article notes, much of the innovation in space technology and access to space is currently being driven by private companies, and I think the Obama administration took a right turn when it promised additional funding to foster competitive action in the industry. Of course, that has been cut back somewhat with the funding authorization bill, but it's a right turn nonetheless.

At this point, the only ways I can imagine NASA getting back in the game of manned spaceflight is either

• An economic need to find cheapish sources of minerals via asteroid mining, or
  
• A new space race with China.

Given that private companies are slowly starting to step up toward the plate, I worry about the agency's capacity to handle the latter.