Expected to Speak At Wright Centennial Celebration

We've been hearing solid rumors for a while that President Bush was going to make an appearance at the heavily hyped 100th Anniversary Wright Flight celebrations in North Carolina less than two weeks hence. While the most intriguing/frustrating aspect of this, until recently, was the inevitable TFR that would be forced upon Kitty Hawk and ground every aircraft for miles around; another (far more positive) story is starting to emerge.

A number of sources indicate that President Bush is going to use the Centennial event to suggest an aggressive new effort to return the US to a more prominent role in the pioneering of space travel... specifically with a specific goal that we turn our resources to mount return trips to the moon, including possible colonization. Further; the effort may be suggested as a precursor to a much-talked-about Mission To Mars and complete a number of the plans and goals suggested by his Father in a 1989 speech given on the 20th Anniversary of the first Moon Landing.

To lend some perspective, one must note that it's been over 30 years since any human being walked on the moon -- and that more than half our population was born after that heady event. In light of this; many are questioning whether Bush has the personal wherewithal or the political capital to suggest and mount such an effort. Meanwhile, for proponents of a more aggressive US Space Program, the next few days may be pivotal... we'll keep you updated.

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.whitehouse.gov