I have massive respect for Armstrong and Cernan but disagree with their positions. I think they're both wrong on this issue, they're distorting the actual state of things, and at a deeper level they're romanticizing the shuttle so much and looking so much through the lens and context of the 60's US-Soviet space race that their prescription is nearly the opposite of what we should be doing. I and a lot of techies I know are way more happy with the state of US space affairs now than say 20 years ago precisely because there's so much private enterprise innovation now, while, at the same time, NASA is still doing new missions and research. NASA ain't perfect, govt ain't perfect, market ain't perfect, but there are lots of things going right at the moment. And I think they're overlooking it.