Moonandback has posted two parts of an interview with Dr. Doug Plata, who is an advocate of a Lunar COTS program. With Lunar COTS, NASA would encourage faster, less expensive lunar development by buying commercial hardware and services in a manner similar to the successful COTS (Commercial Orbital Transportation System) program for cargo delivery to the International Space Station:

• “Doug Plata answers the question about how people can get involved in the Lunar COTS petition, talks about why he’s involved in this project and offers advice on what others can do” : Doug Plata – Activism Will Get Us There – Moonandback
• “Doug Plata continues to examine details of the Lunar COTS program, discusses potential off-world health issues, the potential for genetic mutation, and the need for stepped-up research on different gravity health implications” : Doug Plata – Off-World Health Issues – Moonandback

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In this PBS NewsHour interview, Washington Post science reporter Joel Achenbach talks about NASA’s proposed project to capture a small asteroid and about the budget and policy problems the agency is having: Facing Budget Battles, NASA Still Aims High With Asteroid Capture Mission – PBS NewsHour -Aug. 19, 2013

He is writing a series about the agency’s problems, e.g. on Sunday he had this long front page article:

• NASA’s mission improbable – The Washington Post
• Kennedy Space Center in the post-shuttle era – The Washington Post – Gallery of pictures

Watch Still Aims High in Asteroid Capture Mission Despite Budget on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.