What makes you think this is more than just words? I get that this formally tweaks NASA's mandate, but it's not clear this would have any affect. After all, t

What makes you think this is more than just words? I get that this formally tweaks NASA's mandate, but it's not clear this would have any affect. After all, the Constellation program was not just an executive order by Bush; according to Wikipedia, > NASA Authorization Act of 2005...directed NASA to "develop a sustained human presence on the Moon, including a robust precursor program to promote exploration, science, commerce and US preeminence in space, and as a stepping stone to future exploration of Mars and other destinations." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation_program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation_program Indeed, your second article says > It’s not a legally binding bill. Future presidents or lawmakers, or even NASA’s own administrators would still be able to modify plans at their own discretion — and that’s inevitable given the development of new technologies and fluctuations in funding over the next couple of decades. > Nevertheless, by using explicit language never before used in federal legislation related to NASA authorization measures, the bill would make it tougher for future administrations to cut funding for the Mars mission or scrap the mission altogether. I'm not impressed by the "explicit language never before used in federal legislation" when comparing it to what's come (and gone) before.