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Durandal7

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Feb 24, 2001
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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.
 
More....

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2004/01/08/national2002EST0776.DTL

(01-08) 17:02 PST PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. (AP) --

President Bush will make an announcement next week about America's space program, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said Thursday.

McClellan said the president's statement would be an outgrowth of a review he ordered after the Columbia shuttle crash last summer.

The spokesman declined to provide details, but NBC News said the president would announce plans to land an astronaut on the moon, this time establishing a permanent presence.

Bush has been expected to announce a major space initiative, and some thought he do so at the 100th-anniversary celebration of the Wright brother's first flight last month in North Carolina.

Instead, he only pledged the United States would continue to lead the world in aviation.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, has called for an expansion of the U.S. space program, including a return to the moon.

McClellan spoke with reporters accompanying Bush on a trip to Tennessee and Florida.
 
Im all for exploration but we first need a Great way to high orbit and shuttle isnt it. plus he just blew 87 billion and more in Iraq. Election years suck and now isnt the time to be planning a new moon mission when you just might loose your job. He is trying to round up those votes. Maybe he should secure the borders first, and stop spending my tax dollars like its growing on trees.
 
As much as I like space exploration I don't think now is the time... Heck Amtrak could really use that money to make earth travel a lot easier. Besides abandoning the ISS sounds like a terrible idea, finish it, it would provide a stable platform for a Mars mission if need be. Use what u have at ur disposal!
 
This is a major problem for the Space program, we dont have any long term goals of building on what we have, instead we have a new politician with different ideas every 4 years and in the mean time we have a 25 year old shuttle that can only make low orbit? what ? its not safe, it never came close to meeting its goals, its a big fat pork barrel pig. if we cant keep a low orbit space station going how the heck you going to do one on the moon? lets do a step by step approach and the first step is a Great and less costly and cheaper way to HIGH orbit using todays technologies. then we can build on that. This president is going to spend every dime my Great grandchild has.
 
Originally posted by Macmaniac
Besides abandoning the ISS sounds like a terrible idea, finish it, it would provide a stable platform for a Mars mission if need be. Use what u have at ur disposal!
ISS is doomed. International support has largely dropped off, operating costs are prohibitive and it will never be complete. We might as well christen it Mir II.
 
terrific they spent how many billions in redesiging that thing before they ever bought the first screw, and now they want to can it. Maybe the space program should be handed over to scaled composites and then start over. Nasa and the politicians will figure out a way to make this thing cost 1000 times what it should.
 
While disappointed about the ISS news, all I have to say about the Moon and Mars missions is YEEESSSSS!!!! And ABOUT TIME!!!

Cool, it is well past time for a renewed presence in space. (I think we need a permanent Moon base and a manned mission to Mars.)
 
Originally posted by Dont Hurt Me
terrific they spent how many billions in redesiging that thing before they ever bought the first screw, and now they want to can it. Maybe the space program should be handed over to scaled composites and then start over. Nasa and the politicians will figure out a way to make this thing cost 1000 times what it should.

NASA was not the problem with the International Space Station, the "International" part was the problem.
 
Originally posted by Durandal7
NASA was not the problem with the International Space Station, the "International" part was the problem.
some of that is true but i just dont have much confidence in Nasa these days nor the ones who run Nasa. Let Nasa do the science but let someone else run and build the programs.
 
It will work only if there is enough conviction behind it and it can continue after he's out of office. Dumping the ISS is going to be a huge thing - especially with all the work and money spent on it already. Wow!

I can't wait to hear what he has to say - I might actually listen to one of his speeches for the first time ;)

D
 
This is VERY old news. It was first floated a few weeks before the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers. It was to be announced then.

The return the moon is only to answer the Chinese. The trip to Mars is only to do what his father couldn't do when in office. So unless George Jr. can do it within 2 years, it may be another failed Bush family promise...
 
Originally posted by Macmaniac
As much as I like space exploration I don't think now is the time... Heck Amtrak could really use that money to make earth travel a lot easier. Besides abandoning the ISS sounds like a terrible idea, finish it, it would provide a stable platform for a Mars mission if need be. Use what u have at ur disposal!

Amtrack should be sold off to private investors, and either make profits or go bankrupt.
 
Originally posted by Chip NoVaMac
This is VERY old news. It was first floated a few weeks before the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers. It was to be announced then.

The return the moon is only to answer the Chinese. The trip to Mars is only to do what his father couldn't do when in office. So unless George Jr. can do it within 2 years, it may be another failed Bush family promise...

Two years?

How long was Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon when he announced it to when it was actually achieved? It was more than two years, if memory serves correctly.

Time to get away from the instant gratification. Scientific progress and engineering requires multiple cycles of development and experimentation and refinement. A manned mission to Mars and a permanent presence on the Moon would be great.

I could see IBM PowerPC G8s being made on the low gravity of the moon. :D
 
Originally posted by Frohickey
Two years?

How long was Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon when he announced it to when it was actually achieved? It was more than two years, if memory serves correctly.

Promised in 1961.
Achived in 1969.
 
here's what JFK's thoughts were on the moonrace

http://www.space.com/news/kennedy_tapes_010822.html

As for the ISS problems, when it became apparent that the US could not fund it on its own, it was made into an international project. Unfortunately, we and they, never did have the resources to put into the program to do it right. Still, technological advancement doesn't come cheap. Moreover, everyone in the U.S. was somehow involved in the orginal space program. It was exciting then.

A manned mission to Mars isn't going to happen in the timeframe Bush is talking about. There just isn't enough support for it. More to the point, what will be gained that we couldn't get sooner, and cheaper, with unmanned vehicles?
 
We couldn't even get back to the moon in two years.

But making a permanent base there requires one thing we don't know that much about yet - is there or isn't there a supply of water on the moon. If we can find one, then things will be so much easier and less expensive. Processing the water for fuel on the moon would make a permanent base much more viable. If we had to take all our water and fuel with us, then things become way too expensive.

Also, if a permanent base is in the plan, then we need to create a moon shuttle that goes from earth orbit to the moon and never enters the earths atmosphere. It would live in space.

And that's just one of many things....too much needs to be built into the infrastructure for this to happen anytime soon. That and a cheap way to get things off the planet - astronauts, supplies, equipment, etc. With the retirement of the shuttle, what's next?

We're talking decades here.

D
 
Originally posted by Dont Hurt Me
Maybe he should secure the borders first, and stop spending my tax dollars like its growing on trees.

If we all used this way of thinking we would still be living in a world that is pre-industrial revolution. Sometimes it takes doing somethign for the few (scientists...) to make soemthing better happen or the masses (eventual settlement of the rest of sapce...)
 
Nasa should stick to the cutting edge science and Let somebody else build the vehicles and open Space. A new Space Commerce & Transportation Dept who's Goal is to open space and put in place technologies the spaceships and goals. right now Nasa has no vision and is wondering in low orbit and is the military's lap dog. Let Nasa do the science let someone else implement it and build the ships to open space. also this needs to be a non military oginazation.

Without a new orginazation we will see a lot of paperwork,a lot of waste, and more failures. 1 shuttle was tragic but 2? For some reason(politics) we just cant seem to build the stepping stones. the Politics have to be removed from the space program.
Look at Scaled composites and what they are doing, no politicians screwing with them though im sure they will be trying. This is what private business can do if left alone but get the govt involved and all focus will be lost unless there is a military goal as in Apollo. here we go again with China. Get private business involved, set the gols and give them the check not some political quasi military beauracratic govt ran orginazation that cant see past the next pork barrel project.
 
This is a news story that has gone off track - lets talk about the space program and move politics to the correct location.

Thanks,

D
 
I would really like to see a space project again with the intensity that President Kennedy's announcement had. It was an exciting time. Was fortunate to watch the Mercury launches live on TV. It gave me the same goose bumps as my patriotism with seeing the flag and hearing our anthem.

A moon project could bring the world together again. July 20th, 1969 was also a great memory.
 
I personally think this is a wonderful adventure that we are going to embark upon as a society. I personally don't care what the costs are. I will gladly pay more tax for this. Just imagine the day that you walk outside with your child, point to Mars, and say, sweetheart, there are people walking on that planet right now!
 
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