[FPSPACE] Washington Post on Return to the Moon
James Harford
jimharford@msn.com
Fri, 5 Dec 2003 07:27:04 -0500
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Dwayne Day: I have high respect for Kathy Sawyer's journalism, too, but i=
t is diminished by her error on the date of the JFK
lunar mission speech. It was not 1962, but May 25, 1961, a date that belo=
ngs up there with December 17, 1903. Happy Holidays everyone.
Jim Harford =20
----- Original Message -----
From: DwayneDay
Sent: Friday, December 05, 2003 12:41 AM
To: fpspace@friends-partners.org
Subject: [FPSPACE] Washington Post on Return to the Moon
Well, if Kathy Sawyer says there is something to the rumors, then I belie=
ve her.
********************
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36960-2003Dec4.html
Return to Moon May Be on Agenda =20
By Mike Allen and Kathy Sawyer
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, December 5, 2003; Page A01 =20
President Bush's aides are considering a new lunar exploration program an=
d other unifying national goals, including a campaign to promote longevit=
y or fight childhood illness or hunger, as they sift ideas for a fresh ag=
enda for the final year of his term, administration officials said yester=
day. =20
=20
Several government agencies and task forces have been assigned to determi=
ne the cost and feasibility of a variety of major ideas, which could cost=
billions of dollars at a time when the nation is running a substantial b=
udget deficit. =20
An interagency group led by the White House, for instance, has been worki=
ng since August on a blueprint for interplanetary human flight over the n=
ext 20 to 30 years to give NASA a new mission after the Feb. 1 disintegra=
tion of the space shuttle Columbia. Plans call for Bush to issue an ambit=
ious new national vision for space travel by early next year, and officia=
ls said the initiative is likely to involve cooperation between NASA and =
the military. =20
The development of big ideas for Bush's 2004 agenda is being led by the p=
resident's senior adviser, Karl Rove, the officials said. Administration =
officials said options have not been presented to the president, let alon=
e decided, but the search is active for ambitious initiatives to flesh ou=
t a reelection agenda that also includes limiting lawsuits, making the ta=
x cuts permanent and adding private investment accounts to the Social Sec=
urity system. =20
One person consulted by the White House said some aides appear to relish =
the idea of a "Kennedy moment" for Bush, referring to the 1962 call by Pr=
esident John F. Kennedy for the nation to land a man on the moon and retu=
rn him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. =20
A senior administration official said that "a lot of simultaneous efforts=
have been launched" in a quest for such an idea, and that the efforts ha=
ve been underway since at least late summer. The official said the planni=
ng was born of an effort to follow up Bush's emergency plan for AIDS reli=
ef in this year's State of the Union address, which called for spending $=
15 billion over five years to help African and Caribbean countries fight =
the pandemic. =20
This official said Bush's closest aides are promoting big initiatives on =
the theory that they contribute to Bush's image as a decisive leader even=
if people disagree with some of the specifics. "Iraq was big. AIDS is bi=
g," the official said. "Big works. Big grabs attention." =20
An ambitious plan for space travel is one possibility, though Republican =
officials said they are wary of repeating what they consider the mistakes=
of Bush's father. On July 20, 1989, the 20th anniversary of the first hu=
man moon landing, President George H.W. Bush issued a call for a sustaine=
d commitment to human exploration of the solar system, with a return to t=
he moon as a steppingstone to the main destination -- Mars. NASA responde=
d with a budget-shattering $400 billion plan to fulfill that goal, and it=
swiftly sank under its own weight. =20
Vice President Cheney recently discussed possibilities with lawmakers wit=
h jurisdiction over the space program but did not tip his hand. Options t=
hat have been considered by the administration include a permanent outpos=
t on the moon and a human mission to Mars. =20
Although much of the scientific and emotional focus has been on Mars over=
the past decade, the buzz inside NASA has seemed to shift toward a retur=
n of man to the moon, officials at the space agency said. =20
"The drumbeat is getting louder," Wendell Mendell, manager of the Office =
for Human Exploration Science at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, =
said in a telephone interview. Mendell has long advocated a return to the=
moon. "The tables and lists being created here are consistent" with a lu=
nar initiative, he said. =20
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has steadfastly declined to discuss the o=
ngoing review of space policy, except to acknowledge that it is "moving f=
orward." =20
Edward Weiler, NASA's chief of space sciences, said in an interview yeste=
rday that he commissioned a major study to determine space science priori=
ties, which was completed by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences =
earlier this year. =20
"I was surprised that the moon turned out to be one of their targets," he=
said. The panel listed the moon as one of five prime targets, he said, p=
rimarily because a crater at its South Pole contains some of the oldest, =
if not the oldest, exposed material in the solar system. =20
Advocates have argued that the moon could be useful in many other ways, a=
s a base for developing technologies, for astronomical observations and f=
or human rehearsals for operating in space. One person consulted by the W=
hite House said officials think a renewed push into space would fuel the =
manufacturing and technology sectors of the economy. =20
=20
Bush aides and advisers said that separately from his space plans, he is =
also looking for ideas for next month's State of the Union address that w=
ould not rely solely on the government but would also rally business, vol=
unteers and other parts of society. =20
The Department of Heath and Human Services is developing a proposal that =
would funnel billions of dollars over at least a decade into relatively n=
oncontroversial research into cures for cancer and other diseases. A GOP =
official said this effort could be "the Republican equivalent of the War =
on Poverty." =20
A senior administration official said policy experts have also researched=
possibilites for universal health insurance for children. The official s=
aid the administration has also been "going to considerable effort to see=
how much it would cost to attack child hunger and quote, unquote end chi=
ld hunger." =20
Political calculations are involved, according to Republican sources. One=
presidential adviser pointed out that a major anti-disease initiative wo=
uld be popular with baby boomers. One quality the proposals have in commo=
n is that they are not obviously divisive. =20
On the other hand, the White House will be constrained by the growing bud=
get deficit, which is projected to approach $500 billion in the current f=
iscal year. =20
The plans reflect a consistent strain in Bush's rhetoric, going back to h=
is acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphi=
a in 2000, when he promised to use "good times for great goals." In fundr=
aising speeches for his reelection campaign, Bush says he wants to pursue=
"great goals worthy of a great nation." =20
_______________________________________________
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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV> </DIV> <=
DIV>Dwayne Day: I have high respect for Kathy Sawyer's journalism, too, b=
ut it is diminished by her error on the date of the JFK</DIV> <DIV>lunar =
mission speech. It was not 1962, but May 25, 1961, a date that belon=
gs up there with December 17, 1903. Happy Holidays everyone.</DIV> <DIV>J=
im Harford </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-L=
EFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT:=
0px"> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial">----- Original Message -----</DIV>=
<DIV style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt Arial; COLOR: black"><B>Fr=
om:</B> DwayneDay</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>Sent:</B> Frid=
ay, December 05, 2003 12:41 AM</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"><B>T=
o:</B> fpspace@friends-partners.org</DIV> <DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt Arial"=
><B>Subject:</B> [FPSPACE] Washington Post on Return to the Moon</DIV> <D=
IV> </DIV>Well, if Kathy Sawyer says there is something to the rumor=
s, then I believe her.<BR><BR>********************<BR>http://www.washingt=
onpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A36960-2003Dec4.html<BR><BR>Return to Moon May=
Be on Agenda <BR><BR>By Mike Allen and Kathy Sawyer<BR>Washington Post S=
taff Writers<BR>Friday, December 5, 2003; Page A01 <BR><BR><BR>President =
Bush's aides are considering a new lunar exploration program and other un=
ifying national goals, including a campaign to promote longevity or fight=
childhood illness or hunger, as they sift ideas for a fresh agenda for t=
he final year of his term, administration officials said yesterday. <BR>&=
nbsp; <BR>Several government agencies and task forces have be=
en assigned to determine the cost and feasibility of a variety of major i=
deas, which could cost billions of dollars at a time when the nation is r=
unning a substantial budget deficit. <BR><BR>An interagency group led by =
the White House, for instance, has been working since August on a bluepri=
nt for interplanetary human flight over the next 20 to 30 years to give N=
ASA a new mission after the Feb. 1 disintegration of the space shuttle Co=
lumbia. Plans call for Bush to issue an ambitious new national vision for=
space travel by early next year, and officials said the initiative is li=
kely to involve cooperation between NASA and the military. <BR><BR>The de=
velopment of big ideas for Bush's 2004 agenda is being led by the preside=
nt's senior adviser, Karl Rove, the officials said. Administration offici=
als said options have not been presented to the president, let alone deci=
ded, but the search is active for ambitious initiatives to flesh out a re=
election agenda that also includes limiting lawsuits, making the tax cuts=
permanent and adding private investment accounts to the Social Security =
system. <BR><BR>One person consulted by the White House said some aides a=
ppear to relish the idea of a "Kennedy moment" for Bush, referring to the=
1962 call by President John F. Kennedy for the nation to land a man on t=
he moon and return him safely to Earth by the end of the decade. <BR><BR>=
A senior administration official said that "a lot of simultaneous efforts=
have been launched" in a quest for such an idea, and that the efforts ha=
ve been underway since at least late summer. The official said the planni=
ng was born of an effort to follow up Bush's emergency plan for AIDS reli=
ef in this year's State of the Union address, which called for spending $=
15 billion over five years to help African and Caribbean countries fight =
the pandemic. <BR><BR>This official said Bush's closest aides are promoti=
ng big initiatives on the theory that they contribute to Bush's image as =
a decisive leader even if people disagree with some of the specifics. "Ir=
aq was big. AIDS is big," the official said. "Big works. Big grabs attent=
ion." <BR><BR>An ambitious plan for space travel is one possibility, thou=
gh Republican officials said they are wary of repeating what they conside=
r the mistakes of Bush's father. On July 20, 1989, the 20th anniversary o=
f the first human moon landing, President George H.W. Bush issued a call =
for a sustained commitment to human exploration of the solar system, with=
a return to the moon as a steppingstone to the main destination -- Mars.=
NASA responded with a budget-shattering $400 billion plan to fulfill tha=
t goal, and it swiftly sank under its own weight. <BR><BR>Vice President =
Cheney recently discussed possibilities with lawmakers with jurisdiction =
over the space program but did not tip his hand. Options that have been c=
onsidered by the administration include a permanent outpost on the moon a=
nd a human mission to Mars. <BR><BR>Although much of the scientific and e=
motional focus has been on Mars over the past decade, the buzz inside NAS=
A has seemed to shift toward a return of man to the moon, officials at th=
e space agency said. <BR><BR>"The drumbeat is getting louder," Wendell Me=
ndell, manager of the Office for Human Exploration Science at NASA's John=
son Space Center in Houston, said in a telephone interview. Mendell has l=
ong advocated a return to the moon. "The tables and lists being created h=
ere are consistent" with a lunar initiative, he said. <BR><BR>NASA Admini=
strator Sean O'Keefe has steadfastly declined to discuss the ongoing revi=
ew of space policy, except to acknowledge that it is "moving forward." <B=
R><BR>Edward Weiler, NASA's chief of space sciences, said in an interview=
yesterday that he commissioned a major study to determine space science =
priorities, which was completed by a panel of the National Academy of Sci=
ences earlier this year. <BR><BR>"I was surprised that the moon turned ou=
t to be one of their targets," he said. The panel listed the moon as one =
of five prime targets, he said, primarily because a crater at its South P=
ole contains some of the oldest, if not the oldest, exposed material in t=
he solar system. <BR><BR>Advocates have argued that the moon could be use=
ful in many other ways, as a base for developing technologies, for astron=
omical observations and for human rehearsals for operating in space. One =
person consulted by the White House said officials think a renewed push i=
nto space would fuel the manufacturing and technology sectors of the econ=
omy. <BR> <BR>Bush aides and advisers said that separat=
ely from his space plans, he is also looking for ideas for next month's S=
tate of the Union address that would not rely solely on the government bu=
t would also rally business, volunteers and other parts of society. <BR><=
BR>The Department of Heath and Human Services is developing a proposal th=
at would funnel billions of dollars over at least a decade into relativel=
y noncontroversial research into cures for cancer and other diseases. A G=
OP official said this effort could be "the Republican equivalent of the W=
ar on Poverty." <BR><BR>A senior administration official said policy expe=
rts have also researched possibilites for universal health insurance for =
children. The official said the administration has also been "going to co=
nsiderable effort to see how much it would cost to attack child hunger an=
d quote, unquote end child hunger." <BR><BR>Political calculations are in=
volved, according to Republican sources. One presidential adviser pointed=
out that a major anti-disease initiative would be popular with baby boom=
ers. One quality the proposals have in common is that they are not obviou=
sly divisive. <BR><BR>On the other hand, the White House will be constrai=
ned by the growing budget deficit, which is projected to approach $500 bi=
llion in the current fiscal year. <BR><BR>The plans reflect a consistent =
strain in Bush's rhetoric, going back to his acceptance speech at the Rep=
ublican National Convention in Philadelphia in 2000, when he promised to =
use "good times for great goals." In fundraising speeches for his reelect=
ion campaign, Bush says he wants to pursue "great goals worthy of a great=
nation." <BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>FPSP=
ACE mailing list<BR>FPSPACE@friends-partners.org<BR>http://www.friends-pa=
rtners.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/fpspace<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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