NASA focus

In his talk last week to the Fairbanks chamber of commerce, University of Alaska's Buck Sharpton gave a broad overview of and outlook for research funding. NASA, he said, has "reduced dramatically" its support for scientific research in favor of a push to put a man on the moon in 2018.
In other NASA news, there's apparently a difference of opinion between NASA's head and some of its researchers on climate change, which NASA studies along with space. Here's the enviro rag Grist's take on the subject.