MoontoMars commission report:
An early peek at the Aldridge Commission report
Space News got a sneak peek at the final report of the Aldridge Commission (which would have been released yesterday were it not for the delay caused by Ronald Reagan's funeral) and offers a few details:

At least some of the NASA field centers should be turned into federally-funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), much like how JPL is run;
NASA should create three new internal organizations to provide technical advice, independent cost estimation, and to oversee high-risk technology projects;
The administration should create a "Space Exploration Steering Council", analogous to the old National Space Council, that reports to the president;
NASA should rely on private industry more for various services, including access to low Earth orbit.
Nothing here sounds terribly surprising, although it will be interesting to see the rationale behind these recommendations when the report comes out next week.

NASA to Give Mars Test to UK Strawberries

The natural selection process of Earth plants that can survive the Mars conditions is a first step to getting ready for colonization of Mars.

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3050438