What is the rationale behind the Bush administrations plans to return to the moon to reinvigorate NASA?
The purpose of returning to the moon is not to reinvigorate NASA… In the first place, it comes down to what any individual thinks is the proper place of a space programme. Our core belief in America is that the space programme is about pushing the frontier and human exploration… We did that during the Apollo missions. We retreated to the space shuttle and the space station. We have decided again that it is not good enough. It is decided that we have to move on … to an orbit. That is what we are going to do. What kind of concrete plans does NASA have to create a base on the moon to send astronauts to Mars? What is the time-frame? We don’t have concrete plans for a base on the moon. We have concrete plans to a return to the moon with U.S. astronauts and, hopefully, in company with astronauts from other nations. We will develop the capability to put a research base on the moon in many ways similar to the research station we have on the Antarctica. We will develop the capability but
