In my opinion, the most important thing that NASA is doing right now, in terms of ultimately opening up space for the rest of us, is their first tentative steps toward procuring commercial orbital services. Michael Mealing seems to agree, and has set up a new blog to monitor progress, or lack of it. I'm adding it to the space blogroll.

[Update at 9:20 AM EST]

Michael Belfiore has some industry reaction to the announcement.

Short answer--t/Space is pleased.

To quote Belfiore:

The winds of change are blowing at NASA, with officials from the Administrator down admitting that the agency's "traditional" means of doing business, with massive, open-ended contracts awarded to a few aerospace "primes" just isn't going to fly any more.

Regardless of whatever else President Bush has done wrong (we can argue, but at another time please) the appointment of Michael Griffin was an excellent move.

Is it just me, or does

http://cotswatch.org/

look an awful lot like:

http://www.islap.org/

?