SPACEBLOGGER MARK WHITTINGTON has a column in the Washington Post today: “A new type of space race ended this summer when NASA picked two winners for the innovative Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems program. . . . If the Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems program works, NASA will have a low-cost way to service the space station, freeing up money for exploration of the moon and Mars. Companies will get a lot of help developing the space vehicles of the future, which promise to lower the cost and increase the reliability of space travel. The help will consist of not just dollars but also the kind of expertise and access to facilities that only NASA can offer.”