Now, this is smart.

We’re exploring Mars. We’re talking about going to Mars. We’re debating what to do with the space program. And finally, someone thinks to do An Interview With Sci-Fi Legend Ray Bradbury.

Brilliant! Bradbury laments that we have let 30 years go by just making orbital runs in the shuttle instead of staying on the moon. The astronaut in me (that little part of me that thrilled during the “Apollo 13” launch sequence) certainly agrees.

For anyone else interested in some space-reading, I think Charles Krauthammer has had some of the best analysis. Months ago he wrote about the pointless short-haul trip system that the shuttle has become. But I really got a kick of this piece that discussed the economic problems of space exploration. I just love the line about the Mars Polar Lander: “Waterworld cost more.”