Mission DART: Better late than never

Image: DART (cgi of the mission)
Info: Russian Space "firsts", Soyuz/Progress spec's, DART site

DART, short for Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology, is launching as I write this. (Keep up as it happens at Space.com) In theory it will travel to another satellite and maneuver around it a few times without any assistance from ground control.
This marks the first time NASA will operate an autonomous docking craft. The Russians have been doing it successfully since 1967. In fact automated Soyuz spacecraft, called Progress spacecraft, have been the real backbone of the International Space Station. Don't believe me? Read what NASA has to say about it here.
Both Soyuz and Progress have a pretty darn good service record. Especially when you consider nobody else is flying anything quite like either of them. (Except for Shenzhou.) Remember, the Progress is an automated spacecraft. It flies up to ISS, drops off cargo and comes back down quite regularly. No fan-fair or parades, just regular work.
That's the type of Space business that will eventually yield profits. Reliable deliveries of whatever you are sending.
NASA has been slow to learn this, relying instead on fully manned craft as a way of spurring public interest in the program, when they should have been worrying about designing the simplest, safest, most reliable spaceships.
Whatever. Next week NASA’s new administrator, Mike Griffin, can add "try to keep up with the Russians" to his list of things to do. This week, let's hope they finally add an automated spacecraft to America's space fleet.