No sooner had this column gone to press last week when a torrent in space news broke loose. Close on the heels of probing, inconvenient questions to NASA regarding its budget came a cascade of reports about increasing tension between administrator Mike Griffin and the new transition team of the new President. The fires were doused quickly enough with love and all's wells but that rocket had been lit in the press and after a tumultuous trajectory the story crashed though the wreckage continues to smolder.

The importance of the American space effort has already been identified among the primary issues the new administration must address, and their options run the complete gamut from doing more to doing it in. It's unlikely any gain could be worth the convulsion of a major policy shift however, and akin to the budget deficit I believe the safe option for space operations will be to stay on course and simply allow it to grow no worse. That means a little number checking.

Super intelligence is obviously not required to be sensitive to number fudging. (Try hiding three pet treats behind your back and only reward two.) Socialized animals like politicians have nonsense smellers even more refined. The idea that any public design is off-limits from inspection (no "checking under the hood") should be sufficient cause to reject that design without delay. The facts better be more interesting than the story lest the story take over, and that seems to be what happened.

At one point the story grew so that it spilled into dinner conversation, one that turned to projects that sound good at first but slink into remission after quick study. A sandwich as big as your head sounds great when you're hungry but in many ways smaller sandwiches make more sense. With little success to demonstrate Ares remains such a swollen sandwich, with a damaged reputation and now a nasty PR bruise. (A better answer is direct to the moon with what we already know.)

The media consensus brings a spotlight of focus to bear on whatever they choose. How those choices are made is no doubt arcane and unwieldy, but getting to the truth is surprisingly often at the heart of it. For whatever reason that particular conversation managed to "make news" where myriad others had not, and acquire momentum. The space program is popular, maintaining a lead even more, and a widening of "The Gap" after the shuttle retires will not be acceptable to those comfortable with the cosmos.