Ambitious Plan to Visit Moon And Mars Unveiled After weeks of speculation, President Bush officially unveiled his new and rather ambitious space initiative on Wednesday. Reminiscent of John F. Kennedy's famous space-launching speech, Bush outlined his administration's goals to send human beings back to the Moon and eventually set foot on Mars. The President called on Congress to increase funding for NASA by nearly a billion dollars annually over the next five years, while radically transforming the space agency's manned space flight goals from research-based low Earth program to a new aggressive plan for interplanetary travel. The nine-page executive policy directive was unveiled Wednesday afternoon by the president during an address at NASA headquarters in

The following are the full text of the remarks made Wednesday by the President on US space policy... THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm honored to be with the men and women of NASA. I thank those of you who have come in person. I welcome those who are listening by video. This agency, and the dedicated professionals who serve it, have always reflected the finest values of our country -- daring, discipline, ingenuity, and unity in the pursuit of great goals. America is proud of our space program. The risk takers and visionaries of this agency have expanded human knowledge, have revolutionized our understanding of the universe, and produced technological advances that have benefited all of humanity. Inspired by all that has c

The following is a statement from AIA President and CEO John W. Douglass on the administration's proposed initiative for manned space flight The aerospace industry welcomes today's proposal from the White House to begin a new phase in America's manned space flight program. By putting together a road map for the post-shuttle era, the administration has served notice to the world that the United States is ready to blaze new trails in the exploration of space, and very importantly, that it plans to remain the global leader in space for the 21st century. Keeping manned space flight as the centerpiece of our space program is in agreement with recommendations made last year by the Commission for the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry. AIA is pleased that the ad