But with Acer making the jump into Smartphones next month and other non-traditional players having great success in the space at the expense of the former cellphone powerhouses, one thing is clear: PC guys "will just walk in" and figure this out.

ENGADGET: WSJ: Dell "preparing a move into cellphones as early as next month"

But what if space contained a destination that could justify the expense and attract visitors for days or weeks?

FORBES: The New Space Race

But even he is quick to admit that the science we can do in space may not be enough to justify the expense and risk of getting there.

FORBES: NASA Needs A Mission

The mind-boggling expense, the riskiness and the fragility of our existing space launch capabilies were hammered home to all of us in the aftermath of the Challenger explosion.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The National Aerospace Plane

RWM's members have left in the past year, alleging that the committee was focusing on public relations at the expense of hard science and wasting time on outlandish options such as firing waste into space.

ECONOMIST: Nuclear waste