"Houston, we have a problem ..."

The good folks over at NASA are used to dealing with big numbers. Just as well. They have a new number to deal with. It represents the amount of money posted to their account for which they have "inadequate documentation". Now, I know about this kind of thing. It happens to me all the time. I'll take $100 out of the bank, buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks, maybe pick up a CD, perhaps even get lunch at a nearby hole-in-the-wall Thai place, and then look in my wallet, and there'll be, like, $11 in there. Where the hell did the rest go? Beats me.

So, you see, NASA's in good company. The only difference between them and me is the magnitude of the discrepancy. In my case, it's usually $20-$30 or so. In NASA's case, it's - wait for it - $565,000,000,000. Yes, boys and girls, five hundred and sixty five billion dollars. What's that you say? Have Bill Gates pay it off? Unfortunately, even Mr Gates' vast personal fortune would only erase a little over 5% of it.