Bush mulls major new space effort

OzzyKP · December 4, 2003, 18:03

http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=...4-104042-8972r

Quote:

Bush mulls major new space effort
By Phil Berardelli
United Press International
Published 12/4/2003 2:47 PM
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WASHINGTON, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Since last spring, the Bush administration has been conducting a confidential effort to establish a dramatic new goal for the nation's civil space program, perhaps rivaling President John F. Kennedy's call to place a U.S. astronaut on the moon before the end of the 1960s, sources told United Press International.

Only a few administration insiders have been involved, with Vice President **** Cheney heading the effort, said sources, who requested anonymity.

Though some details have leaked out -- most notably reports Wednesday and Thursday that President George W. Bush will call for returning Americans to the moon -- sources insist no final decisions have been made. Instead, the president is reviewing a list of alternative goals -- some of them more practical than dramatic -- that must conform to a pair of overriding directives: Any option must be achievable within a reasonable period of time, and it must not require any major new federal spending.

Bush's decision and announcement, sources told UPI, could come as early as Dec. 17, when the president is scheduled to speak at Kitty Hawk, N.C., at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight. The matter also could be deferred until January 2004 and included in his State of the Union address to Congress.

The White House Office of Management and Budget has completed a cost review of the proposed alternatives. Reportedly, the alternatives validate the idea a new U.S. space initiative could be attempted with existing or proposed technology and hardware and could avoid the budget build-ups of previous projects, such as the

space shuttle or the International Space Station -- although such a policy change would require NASA to make tough choices regarding cuts in existing programs.

Sources said the White House space policy review is not connected to the ongoing investigation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, which was made necessary by the space shuttle disaster. On Feb. 1, shuttle Columbia broke up over several southwestern states during its reentry into the atmosphere, provoking a massive re-examination of the agency's manned space program.

Instead, the effort seems to have grown from a more fundamental motivation to reform and revitalize NASA -- something Cheney has been championing almost from the first day he and Bush took office in January 2001.

Bush ordered the policy review in late May. Since then, it has proceeded slowly and carefully, sources said, perhaps more so than any previous examination of the space program. Its progress was managed at a series of meetings involving only a few participants, headed by Cheney and including NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe.

The recommendations were developed confidentially by O'Keefe and his staff and the cost of each recommendation was analyzed by OMB and evaluated according to Bush's twin directives. Cheney -- who has gathered other input from members of both houses of Congress with an interest in the space program -- will make the final recommendation to the president.

On July 20, 1989, on the 20th anniversary of the first Apollo moon landing by astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, President George H.W. Bush proposed a return to the moon and an attempt to go to Mars. Neither of those proposals so far has borne fruit.

If Bush accepts the new recommendation for a major space objective and makes such a commitment -- and if the effort moves forward -- it would represent the first time in nearly two decades a U.S. president has proposed a new vision for the space program that yielded results. The last time such a proposal succeeded was when President Ronald Reagan announced a plan to built permanent space station in his January 1984 State of the Union speech.

mrmitchell · December 4, 2003, 18:07

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Any option must be achievable within a reasonable period of time, and it must not require any major new federal spending.

The new space program will consist of astronauts throwing cameras up into the air?

Quote:

Bush's decision and announcement, sources told UPI, could come as early as Dec. 17,

Of course. All the dorks who would scoff at it for any reason will all be watching LOTR.

Q Classic · December 4, 2003, 18:13

read that this morning. apparently, sources at nasa say that there really isn't a major shift in organization or planning in the works.

OzzyKP · December 5, 2003, 00:20

wow, this died quick.

mrmitchell · December 5, 2003, 00:26

That's my specialty.

Boris Godunov · December 5, 2003, 00:31

And just what would be the purpose of spending billions of $$$ to go back to the moon? Criminy, what a retarded idea.

OzzyKP · December 5, 2003, 00:33

We will do it not because it is easy, but because it is hard.

Boris Godunov · December 5, 2003, 00:36

What the hell does that have to do with spending billions that could otherwise be spent on, oh helping the poor, modernizing American infrastructure and industry, etc. on a TRIP TO THE MOON that will do...well, what, precisely?

We've been there, done that. JFK is dead, Bush can't pretend he's JFK by just shooting people at the Moon.

asleepathewheel · December 5, 2003, 00:45

we have to beat those damn commie chinese!

Boris Godunov · December 5, 2003, 00:51

We did! We beat them there 34 years ago!!!

:) Smiley · December 5, 2003, 00:52

Quote:

And just what would be the purpose of spending billions of $$$ to go back to the moon? Criminy, what a retarded idea.

As opposed to spending billions of $$$ on conquering Middle Eastern nations?

MRT144 · December 5, 2003, 00:54

bush is trying to prepare for space invaders...

asleepathewheel · December 5, 2003, 00:54

Quote:

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
We did! We beat them there 34 years ago!!!

Well, apparently "they" haven't learned their lesson. Don't f*ck with the US space program. We own the moon. *****es

MRT144 · December 5, 2003, 00:58

actually its a battlezone on the moon...

PLATO · December 5, 2003, 01:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Boris Godunov
We did! We beat them there 34 years ago!!!

Wow. It really doesn't seem that long ago...

Whoha · December 5, 2003, 01:38

and what have we done with it?

Our situation right now parallels that of China in the 14th,15th century. They had the ships, they had the people, they had the resources, but their bureaucrats forbade them to travel outside of china. And it has taken them this long to climb out of making that mistake.

BeBro · December 5, 2003, 01:58

Will they really land on the moon this time?

Whoha · December 5, 2003, 02:13

Heh, you've never seen the feather and the hammer drop have you BeBro?

The Mad Monk · December 5, 2003, 02:41

We really need to get off this rock.

Dis · December 5, 2003, 03:45

space is a waste of money.

what kind of conservative is he? He is spending all our money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ned · December 5, 2003, 03:59

Finally!

I NEVER could understand why we stopped exploring the moon or why we never planned to explore Mars. We had the rockets and the infrastruture primed to do both. Then we killed these missions in order to build a space truck that has turned out to be a garbage truck.

I say we pull the plug on the space station and the shuttle and focus on a Moon base and exploration of Mars.

In fact, why don't we sell the space station to the Europeans? They love projects that have no ambition.

Dis · December 5, 2003, 04:00

mars is impossible with current technology.

Ned · December 5, 2003, 04:11

Quote:

Originally posted by Dissident
mars is impossible with current technology.

So what?

We are among the most resourceful and inventive people in history. We can do the impossible if asked.

Nubclear · December 5, 2003, 04:42

Republicans lamblast democrats for frivilous spending yet....

There are sooo many better things Bush could be spending money on

But as someone already said...At least it's not going to bombing Middle East countries

Dis · December 5, 2003, 05:18

what is that aqua colored thing in your avatar? I can't tell.

Combat Ingrid · December 5, 2003, 06:08

@Ned
Do you really believe that the international space station belongs only to the US?

Eli · December 5, 2003, 06:28

Ugh.

Just promise a 10 billion dollars prize to the first private company who builds a base on the moon and succesfully mans it with 5 people for 6 months.
It will be 10 times less expensive and more worthwhile than having NASA do it.

Az · December 5, 2003, 06:41

All talk, no walk.

DeathByTheSword · December 5, 2003, 06:45

ah space....i love space....but until a new revolution in rocketpropulsion we will be mostly stuck on this dirt ball...and for the record all the IMPORTENT parts of the ISS is made by ESA

....but it has to be transferred up there by space shuttle...

DeathByTheSword · December 5, 2003, 06:46

@ azazel then go and become an earospace engineer and change that