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Cost in Space

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photoThis afternoon at NASA headquarters in Washington, President Bush outlined a new initiative to return American astronauts to the moon as early as 2015, and to use a permanent station there as a launching point for missions to Mars and beyond.

New polls show Americans are divided on the new plan. Most respondents said they generally support continuing to send humans into space. However, given the choice of spending money on programs like education and health care or on space research, 55 percent said they wanted domestic programs.

Click the "Listen" link to hear about the timing of Bush's new space initiative and how it will affect other domestic policies.

Guests:

Tamara Lipper, White House correspondent for Newsweek magazine

Howard McCurdy, professor of public administration at American University, author of "Space and the American Imagination"

Kelly Beatty, executive editor of Sky and Telescope magazine

Gregg Easterbrook, senior editor at The New Republic magazine, author of the new book "The Progress Paradox"

Sally Ride, first American woman in space

This program aired on January 14, 2004.

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