NASA’s misbegotten moon plan

Re “Back to Moon via ‘Apollo on Steroids,’ ” Sept. 20

At a time when more than $200 billion seems to be required to help the people in and around New Orleans, NASA has the audacity to announce that it plans to spend $104 billion to send yet another toy out into space. This project and many others by NASA serve no practical purpose for the general public, even though the American taxpayers have to foot the bill.

ALBERT JAKOBSEN

Arcadia

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As a recently retired aerospace engineer, I am annoyed at the prospect of spending $104 billion to retrace our steps to the moon. This program would put us in 2018 exactly where we were in 1969. Furthermore, it would serve as a launching point for even more costly aerospace boondoggles (manned flights to Mars).

At a time when the pressure is on to solve Social Security and Medicare shortfalls, as well as to pay for the Iraq war and Katrina recovery, this is unquestionably the most blatant form of “white-collar welfare” for the benefit of Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman. President Bush seems intent on bankrupting not only this generation but generations to come.

TOM MURPHY

Palm Desert