spacetoday.net: White House releases new space policy

Updated: Wed, Jan 14, 2004, 6:21 PM ET (2321 GMT)
Originally Posted: Wed, Jan 14, 2004, 3:56 PM ET (2056 GMT)
President Bush called for an additional $1 billion in funding Wednesday for NASA over the next five years to start a new program that will lead to a human return to the Moon between 2015 and 2020. "Human beings are headed into the cosmos," Bush said in a speech at NASA Headquarters where he announced the new policy. A fact sheet about the new space policy, released by the White House in advance of the President's speech, said that robotic missions to the Moon would resume by 2008, with a human mission between 2015 and 2020. NASA would also develop a "Crew Exploration Vehicle" that would be developed and tested by 2008, but not flown on a manned mission until 2014. The International Space Station would be completed by 2010, at which time the shuttle would also be retired. The President will ask for $1 billion in additional funding for NASA over the next five years to help pay for the initial work on this project, although the bulk of the funding — $11 billion — would come from reallocating money from other, unspecified, NASA programs. Bush also said he will create a commission led by former Air Force Secretary Pete Aldridge to advise NASA on the implementation of the new initiative. Other nations will also be invited to participate in the venture; NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said at a press conference later Wednesday afternoon that he has held preliminary discussions in the last day with space agency officials in several nations.