To the moon!

I have advocated an ambitious space program that focuses on the moon and on Mars several times in the past few years. It's nice to see a plan has finally been announced that seems to be capturing people's imaginations.

Unveiling the agency's bold plan for a return to the moon, NASA said it will establish an international base camp on one of the moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts land there.

It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space shuttles are retired in 2010.

My only complaint is the long time frame for this project. I'd have much preferred to see NASA challenged to do this in a shorter (but still safe) time frame.