Should U.S. attempt manned missions to the Moon?

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Should U.S. attempt manned missions to the Moon?

An SI Board Since January 2004

Posts	SubjectMarks	Bans
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Emcee: Edscharp	Type: Moderated

Introduction Compact

I welcome all discussion on the US space program and related subjects. However, this will be a moderated board. There are numerous other boards that can be used as bash Bush forums. I appreciate that this subject matter may go off topic a bit from time to time and I intend to be very open minded, but I won't allow this board to become a forum for the political agendas of others.

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Bush Plans to Send Americans to Moon, on to Mars

Fri Jan 9,12:50 AM ET Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo!

By Steve Holland and Adam Entous

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Buoyed by a successful landing on Mars by a robot explorer, President Bush (news - web sites) plans a major announcement on space policy next week that envisions sending Americans back to the moon and ultimately to Mars, officials and congressional aides said on Thursday.

Nearly a year after the shuttle Columbia exploded on re-entering the atmosphere, sending NASA (news - web sites) into a deep spell of melancholy, Bush is expected to outline a sweeping vision of U.S. space leadership.

He is expected to propose a new lunar initiative leading to a permanent American presence on the moon and a mission to Mars in the long term, said the sources, who asked to remain unidentified.

Speaking to reporters with Bush in Florida, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said that after the Columbia tragedy Bush made clear his desire for U.S. space exploration to continue.

"The president directed his administration to do a comprehensive review of our space policy, including our priorities and the future direction of the program, and the president will have more to say on it next week," McClellan said, declining to reveal any details in advance.

Bush is scheduled to be in Mexico on Monday and Tuesday so any announcement is not expected before Wednesday.

Congressional sources said the administration was also considering setting up a more streamlined hierarchy for guiding the government's wide-ranging space programs and coordinating its research and development.

Under this scenario, there could be more exchanges of technology between NASA and the Defense Department.

Some members of Congress are worried about ensuring the United States remains the global leader in space exploration.

"If we don't do it, somebody else will," said Tennessee Rep. Bart Gordon (news, bio, voting record), a ranking Democrat on the House Science Committee. "The Chinese, the Europeans and the Japanese all have the goal of going to the moon. Certainly we don't want to wake up and see that they have a base there before we do."

NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND ENERGY SOURCES

The new space plan was spearheaded in large part by NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, who was appointed by Bush to restore credibility to an agency plagued by budget troubles, including billions of dollars in cost overruns at the international space station.

Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) was also involved in the policy development, along with other senior Bush advisers. The administration was said to see the initiative as an important national security measure and experts said it could lead to new technologies and potential new sources of energy.

Bush's father, former President George Bush, had proposed a mission to Mars that was scuttled because of concerns over its high cost. The younger Bush likewise faces budgetary constraints including a budget deficit expected to top $500 billion this year alone.

Experts say a moon mission could be done without a significant increase in the budget by spreading the cost over seven to 10 years.

"You can use the existing infrastructure and be back on the moon in 5 to 10 years with a modest investment. You don't have to double the NASA budget," said Paul Spudis, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Baltimore, Maryland.

story.news.yahoo.com

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Reply	Message Preview	From	Recs	Posted
41	I wrote a large post as an edit but it got lost when the edit window ran out.	TimF	-	2/11/2005
40	If its truely random (or at least chaotic and strong pseudo random) I don'	TimF	-	2/10/2005
39	Tim, I did not claim that it being overdue increased the odds in the next X yea	Fangorn	-	2/10/2005
38	If a hit of a certain size happens on the average once every million years, an	TimF	-	2/10/2005
37	Tim, Those time frames are accurate according to the fossil record of such impac	Fangorn	-	2/10/2005
36	<i> Given the near certainty that Earth will be hit by a city killer in th	TimF	-	1/31/2005
35	NASA: Spirit Rover Not Sending Data story.news.yahoo.com NASA: Spirit Rove	Edscharp	-	1/22/2004
34	Bush Creative on NASA Aid nytimes.com By KENNETH CHANG Published: January 15,	Edscharp	-	1/14/2004
33	History Offers Reasons to Be Cautious on Bush's Space Plan nytimes.com By	Edscharp	-	1/14/2004
32	President's Vision Is More Shrewd Than Flashy washingtonpost.com By Kathy	Edscharp	-	1/14/2004
31	Ed, Last word... You are an idiot.	Fangorn	-	1/14/2004
30	Bush to unveil human space plans news.bbc.co.uk By Dr David Whitehouse BBC Ne	Edscharp	-	1/14/2004
29	Fangorn, I guess I'll have to eliminate the possiblity that you were intent	Edscharp	-	1/13/2004
28	Ed, re > I can't understand how come no one else ever thought of th	Fangorn	-	1/13/2004
27	Fangorn, Oooof! It has suddenly occurred to me that either you are completely	Edscharp	-	1/13/2004
26	Ed, Time has become more precious all of a sudden, new project with tight deadli	Fangorn	-	1/13/2004
25	Ed, re >The expense from launching from the moon might be small, but getting	Fangorn	-	1/13/2004
24	Ed, re> If proponents of NASA can effectively make the case that their	Fangorn	-	1/13/2004
23	Ed, re >I naturally assumed you were suggesting that the administration had	Fangorn	-	1/13/2004
22	Fangorn, <I>"I didn't claim that this is Bush's concern [ast	Edscharp	-	1/12/2004
21	Fangorn, <i>"NASA has produced an endless avalanche of revenue to th	Edscharp	-	1/12/2004
20	Fangorn, Even after reading your post I still find, <I>"it's dif	Edscharp	-	1/12/2004
19	Ed, re>But, some questions beg to be asked. Did NASA actually hold patents on	Fangorn	-	1/12/2004
18	Ed, re>If George Bush really has a concern about an asteroid hitting the Eart	Fangorn	-	1/12/2004
17	Ed, re>It's difficult to perceive any tangible economic benefit. <	Fangorn	-	1/12/2004

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