George W. Bush cancelled the Space Shuttle program. Now Barack Obama wants to cancel Bush's plan for going back to the Moon, at least for the moment. That's provoked a battle over the budget for NASA featuring a public relations blitz by heroes of space exploration 40 years ago, who warn that the cancellation means an end to America's domination of space exploration. Some members of both political parties agree. But supporters say the President's budget has been the victim of lousy public relations. In Florida today, he outlined a plan to explore new worlds with new, privately developed technology, with the ultimate goal of getting humans to Mars. Can space entrepreneurs do it cheaper and faster than government scientists and engineers? What about jobs in California, Texas, Alabama and Florida?
Obama's Vision for US Space Exploration
Credits
Guests:
- Robert Block - Space Editor, Orlando Sentinel
- Jeff Greason - President, XCOR Aerospace
- Scott Pace - George Washington University's Space Policy Institute
- Jonathan McDowell - Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics - @planet4589