I have a new post over at the New Scientist blog, The S word (The science of politics and vice versa) :
“Yesterday the UK Space Agency was launched, to much excitement and enthusiasm.  Forty million pounds was announced to set the whole thing up (that's about half the budget shortfall at the STFC that precipitated the astronomy and physics funding crisis about two years ago).

It will be located alongside the ESA offices in Harwell, Oxfordshire.

The UK space industry, we were told, supports 68,000 jobs directly and indirectly, and contributes £6 billion to the economy. The plan is to grow this over the next 20 years to create 100,000 jobs and contribute £40 billion a year to the economy. But largely absent from the morning's announcements was any mention of science. ...”

To read the full blog entry click here