Hi John,
You will find your question is not a new one, there has been a debate over astral projecting and lucid dreaming for as long as I can remember, are they the same are they different can one lead to the other and vice versa etc etc.
I can not answer this for you as I do not know, although my expereince with lucid dreaming is of a high extent, my ability in astral projection is not as in deapth.
there are many threads in the beyond dreaming seciton ld4all.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=6
And also in here : [AP question...)
( i would have made that neater but im in quick post and I cant remember the tags)
Have a read through and help that information form your own op. Dont let others sway you too much, i think no one knows for sure …yet.
Rich