Bush to Announce Missions to Mars, Moon

[grinner]

Bush to Announce Missions to Mars, Moon
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Jan 8, 10:02 PM (ET)

By SCOTT LINDLAW

(AP) President Bush speaks on his No Child Left Behind policy at West View Elementary School in...
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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush will announce plans next week to send Americans to Mars and establish a permanent human presence on the moon, senior administration officials said Thursday night.

Bush won't propose sending Americans to Mars anytime soon; rather, he envisions preparing for the mission more than a decade from now, one official said.

In addition to proposing the first trip to the moon since December 1972, the president wants to build a permanent space station there.

Three senior officials said Bush wants to aggressively reinvigorate the space program, which has been demoralized by a series of setbacks, including the space shuttle disaster last February that killed seven astronauts.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bush's announcement would come in the middle of next week.

Bush has been expected to propose a bold new space mission in an effort to rally Americans around a unifying theme as he campaigns for re-election.

Many insiders had speculated he might set forth goals at the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' famed flight last month in North Carolina. Instead, he said only that America would continue to lead the world in aviation.

Earlier, White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters traveling with Bush in Florida that the president would make an announcement about space next week, but he declined to give details.

It's possible Bush could make the announcement in his State of the Union address later this month, painfully close to the anniversaries of both the Challenger and Columbia tragedies.

It was the Columbia tragedy that helped force a discussion of where NASA should venture beyond the space shuttle and international space station. The panel that investigated the Columbia accident called for a clearly defined long-term mission - a national vision for space that has gone missing for three decades.

House Science Committee spokeswoman Heidi Tringe said lawmakers on the panel "haven't been briefed on the specifics" of the plan but expected an announcement.

Rep. Ralph Hall, R-Texas, a member of the House Science Committee, said he welcomed the move because he has tried to get the president more interested in space exploration.

"I had the feeling the last 2 1/2 years people would rather make a trip to the grocery store than a trip to the moon because of the economy," Hall said. "As things are turning around, we need to stay in touch with space" and the science spinoffs it provides.

On Saturday, NASA landed a six-wheeled robot on Mars to study the planet. However, the Spirit rover is stuck because the air bags that cushioned its landing are obstructing its movement. A second rover named Opportunity was sent in its wake and should land on Jan. 24.

Asked Wednesday whether the success of the Mars rovers could lead to a human mission to Mars, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said, "The rovers are a precursor mission - kind of an advance team - to figuring out what the conditions are on the planet, and once we figure out how to deal with the human effects, we can then send humans to explore in real time."

While answering questions on the White House Web site, O'Keefe said interplanetary exploration depends on "what we learn and whether we can develop the power and ... propulsion capabilities necessary to get there faster and stay longer and potentially support humans in doing so."

On the 20th anniversary of the first manned moon landing in 1989, his father, then-President Bush, called for lunar colonies and a Mars expedition: "I'm not proposing a 10-year plan like Apollo; I'm proposing a long-range, continuing commitment. ... For the new century: Back to the moon; back to the future. And this time, back to stay. And then a journey into tomorrow, a journey to another planet: a manned mission to Mars."

The prohibitively expensive plan went nowhere.

No one, least of all members of Congress, knows how NASA would pay for lunar camps or Mars expeditions. When the first President Bush proposed such a project, the estimated price tag was $400 billion to $500 billion.

The moon is just three days away while Mars is at least six months away, and the lunar surface therefore could be a safe place to shake out Martian equipment. Observatories also could be built on the moon, and mining camps could be set up to gather helium-3 for conversion into fuel for use back on Earth.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, among others, has called for an expansion of the U.S. space program, including a return to the moon. The United States put 12 men on the moon between July 1969 and December 1972.

An interagency task force led by Vice President Dick Cheney has been considering options for a space mission since summer.

Former Ohio Sen. John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, has said that before deciding to race off to the moon or Mars, the nation needs to complete the international space station and provide the taxi service to accommodate a full crew of six or seven. The station currently houses two.

At the same time, Glenn has said, NASA could be laying out a long-term plan, setting a loose timetable and investing in the engineering challenges of sending people to Mars. The only sensible reason for going to the moon first, he says, would be to test the technology for a Mars trip. About FRELLING TIME.

[darius]

But in reality this unfortunately isn't even a real proposal yet and Bush might not even be in charge by the time anything starts happening. They like to privatize stuff so maybe they can use that and get some exploration companies going that can turn this into a business, and then it would happen alot quicker.

[grinner]

But at least there appears to be 'serious' talks about it now. Unlike since the 'last' time we went to the Moon... when was that???

[vikingscaper]

I really hope that everybody gets their acts together so we can go back to the moon. I wasn't alive for any of the lunar landings so I would die just to be able to watch one lunar landing.

[grinner]

Originally posted by vikingscaper
I really hope that everybody gets their acts together so we can go back to the moon. I wasn't alive for any of the lunar landings so I would die just to be able to watch one lunar landing. you would die to see a landing... how would you see it if you were dead?

[vikingscaper]

You know what I mean.

[grinner]

just taking you literally, my friend...

[harveywhispers]

Wow...this is fantastic!

[Otto the Mild]

Are we sure he knows which is which? :wingnut:

Seriously, don't hold your breath. Every President up for re-election tends to pitch blue sky projects in order to project the image of a visionary. It could be that he is serious about this, but the timing is very curious. Those I know inside the Beltway (in both parties) aren't taking this seriously.

Unless they find al Queda on Mars, there won't be any astronauts going there anytime soon. Nobody's more disappointed by this reality than myself, since my Dad was actually part of NASA during the Apollo program, but there it is.

Politicians aren't interested in knowledge or exploration, just power.

[LadyCrais]

Maybe someone told him he might find oil there. Or maybe someone's pointed out that he better have someplace to go once he's thoroughly trashed any possibilities of continueing to live on this planet, though I doubt if that one would provide any incentive for him.

[waltersgirl]

or maybe, not unlike what spurred man to go to the Moon in the first place, this White House recognizes the importance of space exploration to mankind.

[waltersgirl]

excerpts from JFK's speech at Rice University, Sept 12, 1962


We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a State noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds.

Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation¹s own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far outstrip our collective comprehension.

No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man¹s recorded history in a time span of but a half a century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about 10 years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only five years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than two years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than two months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power.

Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America¹s new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the stars before midnight tonight.

This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward.



So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait. But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward--and so will space.

William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space

For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.

There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation many never come again.

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

[Kurt_eh]

The timing isn't all that "conspicuous."

Forgive my broad generaliztion here, but the USA tends to excell when it thinks it's in high-stakes competition for something.

The 60's space race, for example. Had to beat the "commies" to the moon.

With China announcing it's own lunar plans, it tends to give someone to compete against!

[waltersgirl]

Forgive my broad generaliztion here, but the USA tends to excell when it thinks it's in high-stakes competition for something.

doesn't everyone, though? doesn't the notion of a race against time, a pursuit of a goal larger than yourself, something that you strongly believe in, motivate you to think and act in ways you might not normally. isn't that, after all, how this website came into being, how the mini-series was made a reality? because people around the world put their efforts together to do something they believed was important?

[NebariNookiee]

How about we start fixing the problems with our own planet first before we start trying to frell up any others

[stellar]

Originally posted by waltersgirl
or maybe, not unlike what spurred man to go to the Moon in the first place, this White House recognizes the importance of space exploration to mankind.

What spurred man to go to the Moon in the first place was the Soviet Union.

I think this is spectacular news. I don't think the president is doing this for political gain because a Moon or Mars manned mission isn't going to happen for another decade (and that's if we start today). It's more likely that he wants a legacy, like Kennedy. When we went to the Moon, Kennedy wasn't president, but we all still associate the Moon landing with Kennedy. The same will be for Bush.

Is he doing it for the scientifically pure reason that we all imagine... probably not, but who cares... we're going to Mars baby!!!

An ambitious exploration package will accelerate the space program and I'm for that. I don't care who initiates it or for what reason they do so.

Oh, and I think it's been since '76 since we've gone to the moon (I think that's in the ballpark... not counting Superman 2).

[Twich]

I heard this morning we haven't been to the moon since 72. That's a long time. Too long if you ask me. :D

[grinner]

32 years... yeah... that is too long. I was 1 year old last time Man was on the moon.

[stellar]

I was minus 3.

[Antrobus]

I'd like to send someone to the moon!!:ewink:

To the moon George, to the moon!!!!!
(tip of the hat to the late Jackie Gleason)

Let's see....who else? Bonnie? hmmm....?

[Antrobus]

President Bush speaks on his No Child Left Behind policy

Oh, was that what he meant about this policy? All children will be sent to Mars and to the moon??

[Mrelia]

:rollin:
That would probably be more effective than what they're doing now!

[Otto the Mild]

Originally posted by stellar

I don't think the president is doing this for political gain because a Moon or Mars manned mission isn't going to happen for another decade (and that's if we start today). It's more likely that he wants a legacy, like Kennedy. When we went to the Moon, Kennedy wasn't president, but we all still associate the Moon landing with Kennedy. The same will be for Bush.


He gains politically now because of the positive press spin he reaps from this. Here's how it works: Bush needs a bump in the polls because things appear to be heating up in Iraq again; advisors come up with a long-term policy initiative (in this case, a new space program) they can back off on after the election; the decision is made to float a trial balloon that the Prez will be making a major announcement about the policy initiative; the trial balloon is floated by White House Staff via media contacts on condition that they not be identified.

Here's where it gets fun. If the public reaction to the trial balloon is negative (measured via overnight polling), the White House can easily deny that any announcement was in the offing, since only anonymous sources were used. If the reaction is positive, they go forward with the announcement (likely at this point). Bush gets positive press that hopefully obscures the negative news emanating from Iraq. After the election, if Bush is still Prez he can simply allow the whole project to fade away, if he likes.

There is the possibility, of course, that he is worried about his legacy. The current space station is a product of Reagan's concerns about this. However, Bush is a wartime Prez. Like it or not, that will be his legacy. The only question is will history remember him as a Roosevelt (WWII) or a LBJ (Vietnam).

[stellar]

As much as I loathe the guy, I'd have to say I don't think he's doing it for a bump in the polls for 3 reasons. (1) he doesn't need a bump in the polls; (2) it's too early to bump polls; and (3) the war on terror and Iraq are not going to turn out to be a super legacy (see Kennedy and Vietnam)... I'm sticking with the legacy.

If he were worried about poll numbers this early in 2004, he wouldn't be talking about Amnesty for Illegal Aliens... that alone will cost him 7-10 points.

[JadedLegend3]

To the moon, Alice!!!


Sorry, couldn't resist.



Jacqui :love:

[fermicat]

I think more manned missions are laudable, but I worry about how we will pay for it. We are already deep in negative territory with spending outpacing income. This program will be obscenely expensive and I don't think this country can continue to "charge it" whenever it wants to do something new (such as the recent medicare reform, which must be funded entirely with borrowed money). I mean, I'd like to have a new car and a hot tub, but I don't have them because I can't afford it. I wish the government could be as responsible....

[stellar]

We could always take over another country and use their money.

[grinner]

How to pay for it? Stop giving Billions to nations that want to destroy us.

[Otto the Mild]

Originally posted by stellar
As much as I loathe the guy, I'd have to say I don't think he's doing it for a bump in the polls for 3 reasons. (1) he doesn't need a bump in the polls; (2) it's too early to bump polls; and (3) the war on terror and Iraq are not going to turn out to be a super legacy (see Kennedy and Vietnam)... I'm sticking with the legacy.

If he were worried about poll numbers this early in 2004, he wouldn't be talking about Amnesty for Illegal Aliens... that alone will cost him 7-10 points.

There's no judgement here. Presidents ALWAYS need a bump in the polls, especially when casualties spike in messy conflicts. If he stands by while events chip away at his numbers, he risks allowing a negative trend to develop.

You are right that it is too early to say what the legacy of Iraq will be. However, the war on terrorism, to which Bush linked Iraq, will be the defining element of his historical legacy. That's just inevitable.

The amnesty you mention will score Bush a large number of hispanic votes in the upcoming elections. It will really put pressure on the Democrats, who had assumed they had this constituency locked up. Conservative voters who would object to this will not abandon him. There's nobody running to the right of Bush, plus the Republican Party is highly disciplined (unlike the Democrats, who have trouble agreeing on what color to call the sky).

[stellar]

Amnesty will turn more of the fence-sitters away from whoever is promoting it. Both parties are falling over themselves to embrace illegal aliens because they want the hispanic vote in California, Texas and New York... the three big electorates. Bush isn't going to take California and/or New York and the Democrats aren't going to win Texas.

[vikingscaper]

Although this has nothing to do about sending people to Mars but I was reading a letter in the paper today and the person was complaining about sending a rover to Mars. Apparently, this person was upset because all that there is on Mars is rocks and they didn't understand the point of sending a rover to Mars to take pictures of rocks.

[Antrobus]

We could always take over another country and use their money.

Something sounds familiar about this plan!

[Scarran Raptor]

wait, let me guess, there's oil on the moon and mars, or is there some supposed link between the man in the moon, the martians, and Al Quaeda, oh wait, Saddam stowed his WMDs in the martian canals

[Johnsgirl727]

This is not directly related to the article, but I thought it was interesting and wanted to share....

Buy land on the Moon! It's totally for real!

http://www.planetaryinvestments.com/

[waltersgirl]

I heard this morning we haven't been to the moon since 72. That's a long time. Too long if you ask me

Apollo 17. Cernan was the last man to set foot on the moon.

[Otto the Mild]

Originally posted by stellar
Amnesty will turn more of the fence-sitters away from whoever is promoting it. Both parties are falling over themselves to embrace illegal aliens because they want the hispanic vote in California, Texas and New York... the three big electorates. Bush isn't going to take California and/or New York and the Democrats aren't going to win Texas.

It's not really about winning these states. It's about forcing the opposition to spend time shoring up support in what should be safe territory. No Democrat thinks Texas is going to go blue, but they would surely like to make it a little less red (Republican).

Likewise for the Republicans vis-'a-vis California. They know they won't take it, but forcing the Dems to spend time and money there will keep them from causing mischief elsewhere.

[Antrobus]

Is Mars red or blue? Maybe Bush thinks there are votes there!

[BillFrugge]

Originally posted by Antrobus
Is Mars red or blue? Maybe Bush thinks there are votes there!

Now hold on. That's enough bashing. You're talking like Bush is only motivated by what will get him the most votes, and he hasn't demonstrated that by any of his actions. He has consistently angered the conservative base by reaching out and compromising with the Democrat party. And for that, both sides hate him.

The space program has had one failure after another in recent years; shuttle explosions and Mars exploration. We need to set new goals, and work to achieve them. We know that we have been to the moon previously, so we should be able to go back there. That sounds like a reasonable step to me, and hopefully it will inspire new ideas from NASA.

[LadyCrais]

Originally posted by BillFrugge
Now hold on. That's enough bashing. You're talking like Bush is only motivated by what will get him the most votes, and he hasn't demonstrated that by any of his actions. He has consistently angered the conservative base by reaching out and compromising with the Democrat party. And for that, both sides hate him.



You and I obviously inhabit totally different planets.

[Nightie]

every1 seems to be going to Mars these days, Europeans in 2030, Americans and even Chinese, but here's what i think will happen:

Americans will fake it,
Us Europeans won't even make it past the athmosphere,
The Chinese will send 150 cheap made rockets and hope one of them makes it

:rollin:

Seriosly though it's great that people take intrest in space once again.

[Kurt_eh]

Originally posted by vikingscaper
Although this has nothing to do about sending people to Mars but I was reading a letter in the paper today and the person was complaining about sending a rover to Mars. Apparently, this person was upset because all that there is on Mars is rocks and they didn't understand the point of sending a rover to Mars to take pictures of rocks.

Sigh.

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/countries/us/guide/004.html

Babylon 5, Season 1: Infection

Reporter: "After all that you've just gone through, I have to ask you the same question a lot of people back home are asking about space these days. Is it worth it? Should we just pull back, forget the whole thing as a bad idea, and take care of our own problems, at home?"

Sinclair: "No. We have to stay here, and there's a simple reason why. Ask ten different scientists about the environment, population control, genetics - and you'll get ten different answers. But there's one thing every scientist on the planet agrees on: whether it happens in a hundred years, or a thousand years, or a million years, eventually our sun will grow cold, and go out. When that happens, it won't just take us, it'll take Marilyn Monroe, and Lao-tsu, Einstein, Maruputo, Buddy Holly, Aristophanes - all of this. All of this was for nothing, unless we go to the stars."

[Otto the Mild]

Originally posted by Nightie
every1 seems to be going to Mars these days, Europeans in 2030, Americans and even Chinese, but here's what i think will happen:

Americans will fake it,
Us Europeans won't even make it past the athmosphere,
The Chinese will send 150 cheap made rockets and hope one of them makes it

:rollin:



And the Russians will deny that Mars exists at all.:D