Nasa was recently ranked the 4th worst-managed US government organisation by the Senate Government Affairs Committee. It was particularly criticised for the incompetence it showed in:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 2, 2000

National Public Radio's Marketplace is interviewing Lou Dobbs, former CNN Financial News anchor, and now producer of Space.com on Wednesday, October 6 at 6:30 pm PST (check your local radio listings). Space.com is a new web site devoted to all types of space-related news.

A short article entitled, "Human Mars mission not a priority, Clinton says" (_Space News_, August 2, p 2) reports that on July 21, 1999, the US President told a press conference "...the benefits to us here on Earth of continued advances in space..." would capture the imagination of the American people more than going to Mars. This reflects what public opinion polls show and is perhaps to be expected from a President who became famous for his campaign slogan, "It's the economy, stupid".

Those interested in the ins and outs of space policy and broader issues of the commercial and not-so-commercial space industry should take a look at Space Policy Digest (http://spacepolicy.org), a monthy space magazine published online.

Mark your calendars folks.

Space 98, the biennial space conference of the American Society of Civil Engineers' Aerospace Division, is one of the few "mainstream" space conferences that is actively adapting to the "new paradigm" that space activities are becoming increasingly commercial, and their funding will come increasingly from the private sector with the objective of earning profits.