Race to the Moon...Again

Article from http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/10/04/space.race.ap/index.html

50 years after NASA was first created during a time when a heated space race between the United States and the Soviets a new one is warming up. A NASA administrator said that China will most likely be able to put a man on the moon before the U.S. could get back. NASA's goal is to put a man on the moon by 2020. China will probably beat that. Even though the U.S. is more technologically advanced than China it doesn't have the political will power behind it. The goal of 2020 was set 16 years before its supposed to happen, twice as long as the deadline Kennedy set and this is the 21st Century. We've been there before it can't be that hard to follow the old blue prints of the Apollo mission rockets and send an identical rocket with updated technology to the moon. We have the technology just not the budget and support behind it. It would be very embarrassing for China to win the race to a place we've already been to. Other NASA officials saying that they are not in a competition with anyone and have long range goals and putting a man on the moon again is not one of them. They are looking at lunar bases and a new shuttle for when the fleet retires. Even though I agree that NASA should focus on long range goals I think that putting a man on the moon again before China would have a lot of pride behind it and bring the country to support NASA and the space program more. Right now support is low with the loss of Columbia and all the delays from falling foam.