Scientists Call for Space Exploration

February 15, 2008 | Source: New York Times

The next president of the United States should give NASA an additional $3 billion each year, both to get to Mars and to focus attention on science issues in space and on Earth, a group of scientists, industry figures and former astronauts said on Thursday.

The group of 50 experts met at Stanford University for a two-day conference to discuss the “Vision for Space Exploration” that President Bush unveiled four years ago. The plan calls for shutting down the space shuttle program by 2010, sending astronauts back to the Moon by 2020 and to Mars in the years beyond.