Commission Report on Bush Plan

On January 14 2004, U.S. President Bush unveiled his vision for America's future in space. It involves a staged approach for getting humans to Mars and other destinations in the Solar System:

• Research would be done on the International Space Station to understand and mitigate the biological effects of long duration space flight
• A new spacecraft would be developed for carrying crews to low Earth orbit and the Moon
• A lunar base would be established as a launch facility for trips to Mars and beyond

A presidential commission presented its findings to the president and the public about how to implement the plan on June 16.

See the following for more details:

• NASA
• RMMS discussion
• Space News (preview of report)

 

Spirit and Opportunity: Rovers on Mars

Two robotic spacecraft are now actively exploring the surface of Mars. Spirit and Opportunity are studying the geology of the Red Planet, and have recently found evidence for water.

See the JPL Rover Web site for up-to-date information on the MER mission.

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