Bush administration: return to space

Two news stories posted during the first week of December 2003 announced that President George W. Bush was expected to announce that the United States would soon return to space.


 * Also see:
 * Bush "Road Map to Space": A Renewed Spirit of Discovery.
 * President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy

First Report
The first report, Milky Way Days, was on December 3, 2003, by National Review's Dennis E. Powell:


 * "When President Bush delivers a speech recognizing the centenary of heavier-than-air-powered flight December 17, [2003] it is expected that he will proffer a bold vision of renewed space flight, with at its center a return to the moon, perhaps even establishment of a permanent presence there.


 * "The content of the speech does not appear to be in doubt; the only question is timing. While those who have formulated it have argued that it be delivered on the anniversary of the Wright Brothers' first powered flight, there exists a slight possibility that it will instead be incorporated in the State of the Union address at the end of January. This has its own, less triumphant, significance, which is in the form of a chilling coincidence. Every American who has died in a spacecraft has done so within one calendar week: The Apollo 204 fire on January 27, 1967; the Challenger disaster on January 28, 1986; and the loss of Columbia on February 1, 2003."

Second Report
The second, Back to the Moon written by Brian Blomquist, was published the following day in the New York Post:


 * "The return to the moon would be for the purpose of technological advancements in technology, including energy exploration and testing a military rocket engine. ...


 * "And a permanent presence likely will include robots and communication satellites. ...


 * "But beyond the nuts and bolts, Bush's call for a to return to space would give Americans something new to hope for - amid a period of permanent anxiety about terrorism. It would also help move NASA beyond last February's space shuttle Columbia disaster. ...


 * "Sources said the president may also give the go-ahead to pursue a manned trip to Mars - a long range goal."

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * Bush administration
 * cosmozation
 * Directed Energy Weapons
 * environmental warfare
 * Joint Vision 2010
 * NASA
 * National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
 * Radio Frequency Identification
 * weaponization of space
 * weather control