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President Barack Obama boldly
predicted Thursday his new plans for space exploration would lead
American astronauts on historic, almost fantastic journeys to an
asteroid and then to Mars - and in his lifetime - relying on
rockets and propulsion still to be imagined and built.


      "I expect to be around to see it," he said of pioneering U.S.
trips starting with a landing on an asteroid - a colossal feat in
itself - before the long-dreamed-of expedition to Mars. 


He spoke
near the historic Kennedy Space Center launch pads that sent the
first men to the moon, a blunt rejoinder to critics, including
several former astronauts, who contend his planned changes will
instead deal a staggering blow to the nation's manned space
program.


      "We want to leap into the future," not continue on the same
path as before, Obama said as he sought to reassure NASA workers
that America's space adventures would soar on despite the impending
termination of space shuttle flights.

      His prediction was reminiscent of President John F. Kennedy's
declaration in 1961, "I believe that this nation should commit
itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing
a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth." That goal
was fulfilled in 1969.


      Obama did not predict a Mars landing soon. But he said that by
2025, the nation would have a new spacecraft "designed for long
journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond
the moon into deep space."


      "We'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first
time in history," he said. "By the mid-2030s, I believe we can
send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a
landing on Mars will follow. And I expect to be around to see it."


      The biggest criticisms of Obama's plans have been that they have
lacked details and goals. Thursday's speech was an attempt to
answer, especially since an asteroid is the next step away from
Earth's reach.


      Asteroids zip by Earth fairly often and have occasionally
smacked the planet with disastrous results. For example, asteroids
have been blamed for the extinction of the dinosaurs.

      Landing on an asteroid would give scientists a better idea of
how to handle a future killer asteroid that could wipe out much of
life on Earth. Also, it would be a feat sure to win great attention
- and there is far less gravity than the moon, meaning it would be
easier and cheaper to leave.

      "I think he said all the right things" in declaring a
commitment to space exploration, said George Washington University
space scholar John Logsdon, who has served on several NASA advisory
boards. "I don't know what more you could have asked for."

      But several Republicans, including Sen. David Vitter of
Louisiana and Rep. Rob Bishop of Utah, assailed Obama's plan and
speech, calling his plans "job-killing."


      "The president's new plans for NASA are flat-out
irresponsible," Vitter said. "He has evidently decided ... that
it's time for us to simply walk away from manned space exploration
for the foreseeable future, with no clear timeline for returning or
for achieving any of our goals for deep space exploration."


      Obama said he was "100 percent committed to the mission of NASA
and its future." He outlined plans for federal spending to bring
more private companies into space exploration following the
soon-to-end space shuttle program.

      He acknowledged criticism for his drastic changes to the space
agency's direction. But, he said, "The bottom line is: Nobody is
more committed to manned space flight, the human exploration of
space, than I am. But we've got to do it in a smart way; we can't
keep doing the same old things as before."

      Obama said the space program is not a luxury but a necessity for
the United States.

      He noted that the Kennedy Space Center has inspired the nation
and the world for half a century. He said NASA represents what it
means to be American - "reaching for new heights and reaching for
what's possible" - and is not close to its final days.

      Obama sought to explain why he aborted President George W.
Bush's return-to-the moon plan in favor of a complicated system of
public-and-private flights that would go elsewhere in space, with
details still to be worked out.

      "We've been there before," Obama said of the nation's moon
landings decades ago. "There's a lot more of space to explore."


      He said his administration would support continued manned
exploration of space "not just with dollars, but with clear aims
and a larger purpose."

      The Obama space plan relies on private companies to fly to the
space station, giving them almost $6 billion to build their own
rockets and ships. 

It also extends the space station's life by five
years and puts billions into research to eventually develop new
government rocket ships for future missions to a nearby asteroid,
to the moon, to Martian moons or other points in space. Those stops
would be stepping stones on an eventual mission to Mars itself.

      Addressing concerns of job losses to space program workers,
particularly in Florida, Obama said that "despite some reports to
the contrary," his plan would add more than 2,500 jobs to the Cape
Canaveral region over the next two years than would the plan worked
out by his predecessor.


      "We'll modernize the Kennedy Space Center, creating jobs as we
upgrade launch facilities. And there is potential for even more job
creation as companies in Florida and across America compete to be
part of a new space transportation industry.

      "This holds the promise of generating more than 10,000 jobs
nationwide over the next few years. Many of these jobs will be
created in Florida, an area primed to lead in this competition,"
he said.


      Among his most vocal critics has been Neil Armstrong, the first
man to walk on the moon. Obama did not mention Armstrong, who did
not attend the speech, but he did praise Buzz Aldrin, one of
Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmates.


      Aldrin did attend the speech - flying in with Obama on Air Force
One.


      Obama also said his administration would rescue a small part of
the moon program: its Orion crew capsule.


      But instead of taking four astronauts to the moon, the
not-yet-built Orion will be slimmed down and used as an emergency
escape pod for the space station.


      Obama spoke in the vast launch complex's Operations and Checkout
building - the place where Orion is scheduled to be eventually
prepared for launch.


      The president said, "This Orion effort will be part of the
technological foundation for advanced spacecraft to be used in
future deep space missions. In fact, Orion will be readied for
flight right here in this room."

      White House science adviser John Holdren summed up Obama's
program as "a faster pace in space, more missions to more
destinations sooner at lower cost."

Gallery

Politics and Government News

President Barack Obama boldly
predicted Thursday his new plans for space exploration would lead
American astronauts on historic, almost fantastic journeys to an
asteroid and then to Mars -- and in his lifetime.

On to Mars: Obama declares, 'I expect to see it'

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