NASA has been busy lately. Of course, they bloody should be; but they’re not doing what they need to do. But nobody <cough>major news outlets</cough> is really talking about how NASA’s role needs to be re-evaluated, how much they need to change, and how quickly.

Europe is launching a probe to the Moon that will use a cutting-edge ion propulsion system. Despite our successful lunar program during the Cold War, we still know very little about the Moon — like how it was formed, and what more about Earth can be learned from it.

China is set for a manned space launch, which will make it the third country in history to put humans into space. Some analysts think this is a cover for a military space program, while others think it’s for domestic and international prestige; both are probably correct.

The concept of a space elevator is getting some recognition as well. Using carbon nanotubes — a technology which will take several years of R&D to develop — it would extend a super-strong ribbon from a stationary base on Earth up to orbit height. Launching satellites, probes, or even people becomes much simpler and much cheaper. Right now it costs between $10,000 and $40,000 per pound to launch into space; the space elevator could drop that to $100 per pound. That alone makes a few billion dollars a year a reasonable amount to spend towards such a revolutionary technology.

Yet, what is NASA doing with its time? We’re pouring money into the International Space Station, a program that has consumed massive funding in exchange for mediocre scientific benefit. When not pointing fingers over the tragedy of Columbia, we’re researching how to build a massive reusable “Space Taxi” to replace our massive reusable “Space Shuttle”. Worst of all, they are actually giving lip service to the lofty concept of a manned mission to Mars, when there is far more visible benefit from returning to the Moon. Not only could we learn more about the Earth’s history, we could scan for potentially deadly comets — which, despite terrible films like Armageddon, remains a serious threat to the world.

Space technology is going through some pretty incredible advances these days, and it looks like future innovations are just around the corner that could revolutionize the field. But NASA has yet to act on modern technology; it’s still trapped in its Cold War mentality.

The new space race is already starting; if America doesn’t get moving quickly, we’re going to be left behind with nothing to show for our efforts but an aging space program and a bureaucratic mess.