Adds 2,500 new jobs at the space center by 2012, more than under the Constellation program. Increases NASA spending by $6 billion over the next five years.
Spends $2 billion over five years adapting the Kennedy Space Center as a launching pad for commercial as well as governmental space flight.
Invests $6 billion over five years in a new Commercial Crew Development Program at the space center to foster private launches into Earth orbit and to the International Space Station.
Spends $6 billion over five years on a Flagship Technology Demonstration project, headquartered in Florida and Texas, to stimulate research into deep space necessities like big and fast rockets, radiation protection systems, refueling in space and ways to grow food during multi-year journeys to asteroids and Mars. First-ever crewed missions beyond the moon into deep space by 2025, starting by sending astronauts to an asteroid.
Have astronauts orbit Mars and return safely to Earth by mid-2030.
Resurrects a scaled-down version of the six-person Orion crew capsule from the defunct Constellation project as a U.S. escape vehicle from the space station and to be "part of the technological foundation'' for advanced spacecraft in the Mars project. Ramps up robotic exploration of the solar system, including a probe of the sun's atmosphere, new scouting missions to Mars and other destinations, and an advanced telescope to follow Hubble.
Extends the life of the International Space Station likely by more than five years. Invests more than $3 billion to conduct research on an advanced "heavy lift rocket" and finalize a rocket design no later than 2015 and then begin to build it. Those critical of Obama's plan want the space shuttle extended beyond its planned demise this year. However, as Senator Nelson stated, that "would be too expensive...It would cost about $2.5 billion a year and "then NASA would not be able to do this other stuff." Is Obama's plan better than Bush's, who wanted to first go back to the moon before going to Mars and deeper space?