President Bush Announces New Vision for Space Exploration Program(Forwarded)

Office of the Press Secretary
The White House
Washington, D.C.

For Immediate Release: January 14, 2004

President Bush Announces New Vision for Space Exploration Program

Fact Sheet: A Renewed Spirit of Discovery

Today's Presidential Action

* Today, President Bush announced a new vision for the Nation's space
exploration program. The President committed the United States to a long-term
human and robotic program to explore the solar system, starting with a return to
the Moon that will ultimately enable future exploration of Mars and other
destinations.

* The President's vision affirms our Nation's commitment to manned space
exploration. It gives NASA a new focus and clear objectives. It will be
affordable and sustainable while maintaining the highest levels of safety.

* The benefits of space technology are far-reaching and affect the lives of
every American. Space exploration has yielded advances in communications,
weather forecasting, electronics, and countless other fields. For example, image
processing technologies used in lifesaving CAT Scanners and MRIs trace their
origins to technologies engineered for use in space.

Background on Today's Presidential Action

America's history is built on a desire to open new frontiers and to seek new
discoveries. Exploration, like investments in other Federal science and
technology activities, is an investment in our future. President Bush is
committed to a long-term space exploration program benefiting not only
scientific research, but also the lives of all Americans. The exploration vision
also has the potential to drive innovation, development, and advancement in the
aerospace and other high-technology industries. The President's vision for
exploration will not require large budget increases in the near term. Instead,
it will bring about a sustained focus over time and a reorientation of NASA's
programs.

* NASA spends, and will continue to spend, less than 1 percent of the Federal
budget. Our Nation's investment in space is reasonable for a tremendously
promising program of discovery and exploration that historically has resulted in
concrete benefits as well as inspiring Americans and people throughout the world.

President Bush's Vision for U.S. Space Exploration

The President's plan for steady human and robotic space exploration is based on
the following goals:

* First, America will complete its work on the International Space Station by
2010, fulfilling our commitment to our 15 partner countries. The United States
will launch a re-focused research effort on board the International Space
Station to better understand and overcome the effects of human space flight on
astronaut health, increasing the safety of future space missions.

o To accomplish this goal, NASA will return the Space Shuttle to flight
consistent with safety concerns and the recommendations of the Columbia Accident
Investigation Board. The Shuttle's chief purpose over the next several years
will be to help finish assembly of the Station, and the Shuttle will be retired
by the end of this decade after nearly 30 years of service.

* Second, the United States will begin developing a new manned exploration
vehicle to explore beyond our orbit to other worlds -- the first of its kind
since the Apollo Command Module. The new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration
Vehicle, will be developed and tested by 2008 and will conduct its first manned
mission no later than 2014. The Crew Exploration Vehicle will also be capable of
transporting astronauts and scientists to the International Space Station after
the Shuttle is retired.

* Third, America will return to the Moon as early as 2015 and no later than 2020
and use it as a stepping stone for more ambitious missions. A series of robotic
missions to the Moon, similar to the Spirit Rover that is sending remarkable
images back to Earth from Mars, will explore the lunar surface beginning no
later than 2008 to research and prepare for future human exploration. Using the
Crew Exploration Vehicle, humans will conduct extended lunar missions as early
as 2015, with the goal of living and working there for increasingly extended
periods.

o The extended human presence on the Moon will enable astronauts to develop new
technologies and harness the Moon's abundant resources to allow manned
exploration of more challenging environments. An extended human presence on the
Moon could reduce the costs of further exploration, since lunar-based spacecraft
could escape the Moon's lower gravity using less energy at less cost than
Earth-based vehicles. The experience and knowledge gained on the Moon will serve
as a foundation for human missions beyond the Moon, beginning with Mars.

o NASA will increase the use of robotic exploration to maximize our
understanding of the solar system and pave the way for more ambitious manned
missions. Probes, landers, and similar unmanned vehicles will serve as
trailblazers and send vast amounts of knowledge back to scientists on Earth.

Key Points on the President's FY 2005 Budget

* The funding added for exploration will total $12 billion over the next five
years. Most of this added funding for new exploration will come from
reallocation of $11 billion that is currently within the five-year total NASA
budget of $86 billion.

* In the Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 budget, the President will request an additional
$1 billion to NASA's existing five-year plan, or an average of $200 million per
year.

* From 1992 to 2000, NASA's budget decreased by a total of 5 percent. Since the
year 2000, NASA's budget has increased by approximately 3 percent per year.

* From the current 2004 level of $15.4 billion, the President's proposal will
increase NASA's budget by an average of 5 percent per year over the next three
years, and at approximately 1 percent or less per year for the two years after
those.

President's Commission on the Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy

To ensure that NASA maintains a sense of focus and direction toward
accomplishing this new mission, the President has directed NASA Administrator
Sean O'Keefe to review all current space flight and exploration and direct them
toward the President's goals. The President also formed a Commission on the
Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy to advise NASA on the long-term
implementation of the President's vision.

Space Technology Affects the Lives of Every American

More than 1,300 NASA and other U.S. space technologies have contributed to U.S.
industry, improving our quality of life and helping save lives.

* Image processing used in CAT Scanners and MRI technology in hospitals
worldwide came from technology developed to computer-enhanced pictures of the
Moon for the Apollo programs.

* Kidney dialysis machines were developed as a result of a NASA-developed
chemical process, and insulin pumps were based on technology used on the Mars
Viking spacecraft.

* Programmable Heart Pacemakers were first developed in the 1970s using NASA
satellite electrical systems.

* Fetal heart monitors were developed from technology originally used to measure
airflow over aircraft wings.

* Surgical probes used to treat brain tumors in children resulted from special
lighting technology developed for plant growth experiments on Space Shuttle
missions.

* Infrared hand-held cameras used to observe blazing plumes from the Shuttle
have helped firefighters point out hot spots in brush fires.

* Satellite communications allow news organizations to provide live, on-the-spot
broadcasting from anywhere in the world; families and businesses to stay in
touch using cellphone networks; and the simple pleasures of satellite TV and
radio, and the convenience of ATMs across the country and around the world.