Some scientists doubt Bush space plan

Space & Earth science / Space Exploration

Scientists and space policy experts say they will debate whether President George Bush's call for a return to the moon and voyage to Mars is feasible.

Hundreds of millions of dollars were spent the last four years to design, build and test spacecraft in the program dubbed Constellation, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

The program, however, has not caught the public's imagination as did, say, the Apollo program, and with a new president to be elected late this year, some question whether the program needs to be revamped, the Post reported. A Feb. 12-13 conference at Stanford University is to debate the issue, said Louis Friedman, head of the Planetary Society and an early advocate of much of the Bush space plan.

"Some of us have real doubts about whether the money will be available for the Bush plan," Friedman told the Post.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

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Posted by holoman 02/03/08 23:43

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Why do we need to invest in a new infrastructure and wouldn't the space shuttle be a better investment.

The "Corporation for Space Transportation" says they have the capability of using the Space Shuttle for Near Light Speed Propulsion to travel to Mars and back in 144 days.

I agree with the scientist that the direction we are changing to for the future needs to be re-evaluated.

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Posted by nilbud 02/03/08 23:48

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Moonbase good Marsbase bad.

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Posted by Ashibayai 02/04/08 00:51

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Mars isn't a good short term goal. I think it might need to be re-evaluated but I certainly hope they don't just scrap the whole idea.

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Posted by Gregori 02/04/08 05:16

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I think they should just focus soley on Mars and do the Moon later.

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Posted by SDMike 02/11/08 13:48

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Gee, good thing our ancestors were not as fearful as today's Americans. We'd still be in Europe quaking at the thought of all those sea monsters, Red Indians, expensive ships, and weeks at sea. What a cowardly lot we've become.