The Wall Street Journal reports ISS is close to receiving a reprieve:

"According to NASA, high-level space officials representing the partners concluded at their last meeting that extending the station past 2015 doesn't 'pose any significant technical challenges' and space-agency heads 'committed to work with their respective governments' toward that goal.

"NASA'S counterparts in Russia, Japan, Canada, various European countries and most of the other partners are eager to maintain political support and funding for the station. Space agencies around the globe believe the 2020 date is 'an eminently logical goal' and 'momentum is heading in that direction,' according to one person familiar with the discussions. In order for an extension to become official, individual governments must formally agree and come up with a funding plan."

Looks to me like some partners might be rumbling, anxious that the US might consider wasting the wealth and time invested in ISS. There's an enormously silent battle being fought right now by powerful forces dimly reflected in budget numbers flashing back and forth in the doomed newspapers. Funds for maintaining the station means not building expensive new rocket systems and comforting obsolete belief systems. It means working with what works, and not what costs lots we no longer have.

Hoax believers would have you think that since we're not tripping back and forth regularly to the moon these days, why believe they could do so back then? Why, isn't everything related to technology much cheaper, easier, and smaller than in the 1960's? At a proper level of knowledge I understand why that argument fails, but the emotional gist of the argument rings true. Just why doesn't NASA deliver space anymore? (Hint: it's a "won't," not a "can't.")

This has been a pile-on week for the agency in the press, treading water with a positive appearances (if not details) before a public genuinely and easily excited about space exploration, human or otherwise. There's no doubt NASA will go into history well remembered for all they have done to advance us to this point. But for those who can count it's clear they aren't going much farther, as commercial services move in to the LEO market.

At no possibly better moment the new movie comes around the corner (the corner down under, that is!). Its arrival needs to revive the public's good mood about trekking to the stars. Otherwise, we may see the grand trip starting at the dawn of the space age ending for one prime participant no farther than our planet's starting line.