Did we fly to the moon too soon?

I have to admit that the news that the Obama administration is shedding the plan to build a base on the Moon has tugged at the heartstrings.

The Constellation program,first initiated by George W called for a return to the moon by 2020 and the development of the Ares 1 rocket, NASA's planned successor to the space shuttle.

Where this now leaves the final frontier is uncertain.

As the Washington Post reports

"It means that essentially the U.S. has decided that they're not going to be a significant player in human space flight for the foreseeable future

But it seems that cutting the fiscal deficit here on earth is more attractive than enhancing our knowledge of space