United States space policy remains bound by NASA’s decades-old “vision” of voyaging to Mars that shapes everything from agency priorities to its political machinations. Don’t be fooled into thinking that this is George Bush’s “vision” – it was also his father’s and Ronald Regan’s, but really it has been NASA’s vision, whispered into the president’s ear. Perhaps Richard Nixon is the only President not to be swayed by NASA’s lobbying for a commitment to go to Mars. Of course, NASA worked around Nixon with its “next logical steps: shuttle-station-Mars” that got us to where we are today. For those interested in some history on the shuttle and space station program that develop these political dynamics, here are a few resources:

On costs of the shuttle program, see this tabulation — to date over $150 billion and counting.

On why the space shuttle developed as it did, see this analysis:

Pielke Jr., R. A., 1993: A Reappraisal of the Space Shuttle Program. Space Policy, May, 133-157. (PDF)

On the dynamics of the space station program:

Brunner, R., R. Byerly, Jr., and R.A. Pielke, Jr., 1992: The Future of the Space Station Program. Chapter in Space Policy Alternatives, edited by R. Byerly, Westview Press, Boulder, 199-222. (PDF)