Obama backs Moon return in NASA budget

[UM-Bot]

Image credit: NASA

An overview of President Obama's 2010 budget has revealed that NASA is still on track for humans to return to the Moon by 2020, if successful it will see the first humans stepping foot on the lunar surface in over 50 years. NASA is also going ahead with its plan to retire the space shuttles by 2010 and develop a replacement.

"NASA will stay on track to return humans to the Moon by 2020, according to an overview of President Obama's 2010 budget request released on Thursday. Recently, various groups - including Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin and the space advocacy group the Planetary Society - have called for NASA to send astronauts to new destinations, such as asteroids. But the budget request backs a plan developed under the Bush administration to retire the space shuttle by 2010 and develop a system to return humans to the Moon by 2020."

View: Full Article | Source: New Scientist

[Ghost Ship]

It would really suck if he didn't back this. Im glad he's an open minded guy who cares about our progress reaching out into the universe.

I cant wait to see the launches of the new spacecraft.

[kobolds]

don't waste money on a piece of rock . better use it for mars

Edited March 5, 2009 by kobolds

[Wookietim]

And good for him - we must return to manned exploration and the moon is a logical first step in this second space age. First the Moon, then Mars, then the outer planets and moons.

We need to find a way to leave this planet sooner or later - A speech from the show "Babylon 5" is as good an argument why as anything (And I am paraphrasing from memory here) : "We have to leave Earth becuse sooner or latyer, maybe in a million years, our sun will expand and turn Earth into a dead cinder. If we allow that to happen without spreading out to the stars it won't just be us that dies - it will be Einstein, and Lao Tzu, and Marilyn Monroe, and Bugs Bunny, and Rembrandt and Picasso that dies along with us."

[zitro1987]

becuse sooner or latyer, maybe in a million years, our sun will expand and turn Earth into a dead cinder. If we allow that to happen without spreading out to the stars it won't just be us that dies

It's not a million years, it's predicted to be about 4+ billion years.

[000000000000000]

Good news. The moon is the first step. Once we go there the next step is Mars. I can't wait for the new shuttles too. Hope they will be the next step in space travel.

[My fine feathered friends]

Over 40 years, not 50 years, since we last set foot on the moon

[Czero 101]

Over 40 years, not 50 years, since we last set foot on the moon

True, but by the time they get back in 2020 (hopefully) it will have been over 50 years.

Cz

[Sweat R]

I always thought it was stupid to stop going to the moon in the first place.

We could of already had a base there and been to mars already.

I`m glad to see we are going back,as i was born a year before moon landings.