Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor

During the State of the Union, I turned to David Gregory and Andrea Mitchell and blurted out the obvious: I could never be president. The specific reason I gave was that I'd bankrupt the nation by re-starting an all-out push into space – back to the moon, to Mars and beyond.

I mention this (and we will tonight on the broadcast) because of the report out today (a preview of more on Monday) saying the American "manned space flight era" is about to come to an end, for the foreseeable future.  For all of us romantics of a certain age, there has always been a space program.  Despite the setbacks and the loss of life, we've still pushed onward.  We kept going.  Much of the technology in my Chevy SUV is thanks to the space program. That feeling you get at the end of "The Right Stuff"?