http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040108-074213-9462r.htm
Bush to OK new missions to moon, Mars WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- President Bush next week will announce a sweeping space plan that includes new manned missions to the moon and Mars, sources told United Press International.
The president's plan also calls for retiring the aging fleet of space shuttles and gradually withdrawing from participation in the International Space Station, sources said.
Bush will propose returning U.S. astronauts to the moon early in the next decade in preparation for sending crews to explore Mars and nearby asteroids. To pay for the new effort, the president will ask Congress for $800 million in the next fiscal year, plus a 5 percent annual increase in NASA's budget for at least the next five years.
Sources said Bush's impending announcement climaxes an unprecedented review of NASA and of America's civilian space goals -- manned and robotic. The review has been proceeding for nearly a year, involving closed-door meetings under the supervision of Vice President Dick Cheney, sources said.
Along with retiring the shuttle fleet, the president's plan calls for NASA to develop a new spaceship, called a crew exploration vehicle, which would be capable to traveling to and landing on the moon and other bodies in the solar system.