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Space.

For some it's the ultimate frontier with (nearly) endless possibilities for exploration -- both manned and robotic. For others it's not worth the time and effort (and risk).

What are your thoughts? Should we invest more in earth science or deep-space telescopes? Who should be the next NASA chief? Does the Obama administration see the same emphasis on returning to the moon? What's out there?

Lots of questions, and I'll be hosting a live webcast on CBSNews.com starting at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 11, so send your thoughts/queries to my Twitter account, Facebook, or post them here.

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Watch Daniel Sieberg host Space Shuttle launch Webcast, 1:00 p.m. Monday, May 11

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My guest during the webcast will be former shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, who will join us until about 1:50p. After that point, I'll stay online as we carry the live launch of Atlantis at 2:09p, as the crew is scheduled to rendezvous with the aging Hubble telescope and complete a slew of risky repairs.

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UPDATE: The FAA has backed off its claim that the fireball was connected to the satellite collision, so the mystery has been solved -- it was a meteor.

First there was the news last week that a U.S. Iridium communications satellite slammed into a defunct Russian military satellite, each weighing more than a thousands pounds and traveling at 17,500 miles per hour. The collision, taking place about 500 miles over Siberia, created hundreds of pieces of debris to add to the growing total of space junk. Then Sunday video was captured of a mysterious fireball searing across the Texas sky -- but nothing has been discovered on the ground. Coincidence? A meteor or part of a satellite? It's becoming something of a space mystery and we'll have that story tonight on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric.

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It's the new space race: private industry. And there are a slew of startups and some major players all vying to tap into everything from interstellar mining to space tourism. Think of it as capitalism's final frontier. It's a story that's constantly evolving with new discoveries and launches from companies like Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, XCOR, Armadillo Aerospace and many others. But when will it be ready for prime time? Are trips to the moon just around the corner? And how long will it be solely the domain of the wealthy? This weekend on CBS Sunday Morning we'll provide a slice of this ongoing high-tech competition and see how it might inspire the next generation of space travelers.

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I'd never encountered British billionaire Sir Richard Branson in person, but on Wednesday I had the chance to attend a press conference where the seemingly oft-smiling magnate was present. What brought this high-flying business icon to the American Museum on Natural History on Manhattan's Upper West Side? The chance to reveal the latest design in private space travel vehicles with his colleague and aviation pioneer, Burt Rutan, via their Virgin Galactic venture.

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