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CNN Live At Daybreak
President's Plan for Space
Aired January 14, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for more on the president's plan for space. It may not be getting us that much closer to building the Starship Enterprise, but the plan does call for some expensive new hardware.
CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 30 years, NASA has been flying in circles and now it's getting a whole new direction. The Bush plan, in a nutshell, finish the international space station, retire the aging space shuttle fleet and then move on, to the moon first, and then ultimately to Mars.
MARK SCHLATHER, PROSPACE: I don't think it's dead on arrival. I think it'll be debated. It's a question of how much they're going to ask for how soon.
O'BRIEN: To start the ball rolling, high ranking administration sources say they will ask Congress for five percent annual increases in NASA's $15 billion budget for the next five years. The proposal calls for putting the space shuttle in museums by 2010. NASA will then put all its eggs into a new crew exploration vehicle, which could reach the moon, possibly by 2013, to test technology and officer a way station to the red planet, which could loom as a destination 10 years later.
Is it enough?
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: The first year after Kennedy announced the Apollo program, the NASA budget was doubled. And in the second year, it is doubled again. That's not realistic today. But five percent a year increases is not going to get us to the moon by 2013.
O'BRIEN (on camera): NASA officials say it is enough to get started and they are counting on using money from the space station and shuttle programs as they wind down. Ultimately, it could mean NASA will be without a vehicle to carry humans to space for at least three years. The agency says it will be worth the wait for a mission like it has never had before.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And CNN will have a special report later today on the president's space initiative.
That will be at 3:00 Eastern time. And then live at 3:15 Eastern, CNN will bring you President Bush's announcement of his new program.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 14, 2004 - 05:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for more on the president's plan for space. It may not be getting us that much closer to building the Starship Enterprise, but the plan does call for some expensive new hardware.
CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 30 years, NASA has been flying in circles and now it's getting a whole new direction. The Bush plan, in a nutshell, finish the international space station, retire the aging space shuttle fleet and then move on, to the moon first, and then ultimately to Mars.
MARK SCHLATHER, PROSPACE: I don't think it's dead on arrival. I think it'll be debated. It's a question of how much they're going to ask for how soon.
O'BRIEN: To start the ball rolling, high ranking administration sources say they will ask Congress for five percent annual increases in NASA's $15 billion budget for the next five years. The proposal calls for putting the space shuttle in museums by 2010. NASA will then put all its eggs into a new crew exploration vehicle, which could reach the moon, possibly by 2013, to test technology and officer a way station to the red planet, which could loom as a destination 10 years later.
Is it enough?
SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: The first year after Kennedy announced the Apollo program, the NASA budget was doubled. And in the second year, it is doubled again. That's not realistic today. But five percent a year increases is not going to get us to the moon by 2013.
O'BRIEN (on camera): NASA officials say it is enough to get started and they are counting on using money from the space station and shuttle programs as they wind down. Ultimately, it could mean NASA will be without a vehicle to carry humans to space for at least three years. The agency says it will be worth the wait for a mission like it has never had before.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And CNN will have a special report later today on the president's space initiative.
That will be at 3:00 Eastern time. And then live at 3:15 Eastern, CNN will bring you President Bush's announcement of his new program.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
