Rumors: Pres. Bush to Announce U.S. Return to Moon

spaceref.com ^ | October 28, 2003 | Frank Sietzen, Jr.

[B-Chan]

Presidential review on space policy heading to closure

Frank Sietzen, Jr.
spaceref.com
Tuesday, October 28, 2003

WASHINGTON - The year-long review of future directions for the U.S. space program is rapidly drawing towards selection of a policy path, Spacelift Washington has learned from sources close to the deliberations.

The final result may be a presidential announcement of the new space goal in a national address at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 2003, the 100th anniversary of the Wright Brother's first heavier-than-air powered flight.

[...]

As of late October, sources indicate that a central recommendation is likely, but not certainly to be resumption of manned lunar flights to develop advanced technologies that can support U.S. astronauts working beyond Earth orbit to not only the Moon, but eventually on near-Earth asteroids and Mars.

[B-Chan]

“Resumption of manned lunar flights”! “U.S. astronauts working beyond Earth orbit... on near-Earth asteroids and Mars”! Wow! Coupled with the recent move to rein in NASA’s plans to build a successor to the ill-fated, outmoded, and dangerous Shuttle (i.e. the Orbital Space Plane project), the prospects for America‘s return to the Final Frontier — this time to stay — look brighter than they have since the 1960s. The upcoming Kitty Hawk anniversary celebration could see a triple victory for America’s future in space: firstly, the announcement of a bold program to return America to the Moon; secondly, a commitment to explore space on a for-profit, private basis instead of primarily as a government boondoggle; and, finally, the launch of the world’s first 100% private manned space mission: the rumored suborbital first flight of aviation pioneer Burt Rutan’s reusable SpaceShipOne prototype.

America needs to throw out the old mathematic of public-program spaceflight and develop a new equation. Visionary leadership at the top plus a commitment to space business minus NASA’s government-program bureaucratic quagmire could very well equal the opening of the next chapter of America‘s space adventure. Let’s hope that our President has the Right Stuff.

[VxH]

I remember as a 7-year-old, standing in the moon-lit snow that covered my front yard on Christmas night, 1968, looking through my new telescope at the moon.

Dreams.

Americans need to learn to dream again.

GO FOR IT!

[Bob J]

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[Monty22]

Competition always works. Something the communists use, but fight against officially.

I hope we start going to the moon and Mars quickly.

[zippoman]

Wouldn't it be neat if president Bush was on the first rocket back to the moon?

[Bogey78O]

All we need to do is rework NASA. We've developed a ton of new technologies since 1969. It's not the technology we lack but the lack of experience since all the original people have retired.

"Accidents happen when everyone old enough to remember what to do retires" is what I've always been told.

[ladyinred]

I nominate Teddy, Hillary, Bill, Tom, and Dickie to go on the first flight.

[MJY1288]

The Dixie Chicks have announced they want to go into space and explore the surface of the Sun, a reporter informed them that they would not survive the extreme heat of the Sun, they answered... "We know that silly, we will go at night"

[Spiff]

Short-sighted. It's already been done 35 years ago.

How about announcing a quantum leap in space exploration and colonization of space/moon/mars - the goal of developing and building the space elevator. Once completed, it will change the world even more than the cold war or the space program ever did. We're almost there with nanotube developments - we just have to do it by applying the same zeal applied toward the original moon mission.

Space Elevator article - Space.com

[B-Chan]

Wouldn't it be neat if president Bush was on the first rocket back to the moon?

I doubt he‘d be allowed to take the first trip back; travel by rocket is likely to be dangerous for some time to come. As the technology matures, however, the risk will decline, and at some point will become low enough to permit commercial operators to sell tickets to the Moon. With that in mind, we can hope that the President is among the first to sail to the Moon on board a scheduled, commercial spaceliner!

Or maybe he will travel into space by railroad...

[weegee]

Shelia Jackson Lee sees this mission as short sighted and would like to see American astronauts return to Mars.

[B-Chan]

Way ahead of ya, Spiff!

Liftport — The Space Elevator Company

Image

[philetus]

Is this about CHEESE?

[Chairman Fred]

Apollo 11 landed on July 20, 1969. My 16th birthday was July 19, 1969. I was pissed. And proud.

Of course, Freepers know that July 19, 1969 was also Mary Jo Kopechne Day, so it got little coverage...

[BenLurkin]

"Pres. Bush to Announce U.S. Return to Moon"

what in the world for?

[jern]

great one more thing to waste our tax money on

[weegee]

Or maybe he will travel into space by railroad...

It's been done.

[Brian S]

Yeah right, only if we contract with China/Russia for the delivery vehicle since we have nothing "certified" to launch...

[Arpege92]

"Wouldn't it be neat if president Bush was on the first rocket back to the moon.?"

I'd prefer sending Hillary....and leave her on the moon too!

[B-Chan]

great one more thing to waste our tax money on

They “wasted” our tax money on the transcontinental railroads, the Panama Canal, the Internstate highway system, and the ARPANET, too.

Thank goodness.