Bush's televised speech, late on Wednesday, came hours before the US robotic vehicle Spirit made its first, three meter (10-foot) trip across the surface of Mars, part of a mission to find out if the red planet once supported life.

It also came just under a year since the Columbia space shuttle disaster, which put a serious damper on the US space program, and the multinational International Space Station.

"We do not know where this journey will end, yet we know this, human beings are headed into the cosmos," Bush said, speaking at the headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Bush sought to preempt concerns about the initiative's potential military implications, explicitly rejecting a return to the costly "space race" between the United States and the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

"The vision I outline today is a journey, not a race. And I call on other nations to join us on this journey in the spirit of cooperation and friendship," he said.

If realized, the US plan would take humans back to the Moon for the first time since 1972, when the last of a series of US Apollo flights took place.

The plan calls for completing US obligations to the International Space Station (ISS) by 2010, and retiring the agency shuttle fleet around that time, with the goal of replacing it with a new "Crew Exploration Vehicle" that could carry humans to the moon and beyond.

The new Crew Exploration Vehicle would be tested by 2008 and conduct its first manned mission no later than 2014, the White House said, while work on the ISS would focus on research into the effects on humans of space travel.

US astronauts could return to the moon as early as 2015 but at least by 2020, and setting up a base to sustain "an extended human presence," the president said.

Scientists would explore the possibility of drawing rocket fuel or breathable air from lunar resources, and pursue technological breathroughs that could make space travel easier, he said.

"With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon, we will then be ready to take the next steps of space exploration: Human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond," said Bush.

A lunar base could provide another advantage, the president said: Its lesser gravity compared to Earth would mean that launching a spacecraft would be cheaper.

Bush did not specify which nations he hoped would join the US-driven effort, but the ISS partners the United States with 16 countries, including Russia, the European Union, Japan and Canada.

But NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe later told reporters that he had spoken to the heads of the European, Russian and Canadian space agencies, which expressed "enthusiasm and interest" in the initiative.

"They're anxious to have an opportunity to begin to see the detail of where we're going with this and where there may be opportunities to collaborate," said O'Keefe.

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union fiercely competed in a space race. The Soviet Union was the first to both put a satellite into orbit around the earth and to send a man into space, Yuri Gagarin.

China, which launched its first manned space flight last year, has said it would send a spacecraft to orbit the moon within three years and planned an unmanned landing in 2010. India has also spoken of sending an unmanned mission to the moon by 2008.

Asked whether the United States had considered the military aspect of such a mission, McClellan said "what the president is talking about is really focused on the civilian side of space exploration today."

Bush said reallocating funds within NASA's current five-year, 86-billion-dollar budget would provide most of the monies for the new programs, but said he would also seek an additional one billion dollars over that period.

Bush also sought to sell the US public on the benefits of space exploration at a time when millions go without health insurance or jobs and the US budget deficit is soaring -- with the presidential election just 10 months away.

"That quest has brought tangible benefits that improve our lives in countless ways," he said, citing advances in weather forecasting, communications, computing, robotics and electronics.

The opposition Democrats differed. "While I'm encouraged by the administration's renewed interest in the space program, their interest doesn't reflect an honest assessment of the fiscal and organizational realities facing NASA and the financial realities facing the country," said Senator Ernest Hollings.

And the Washington Post newspaper was also critical. "The nation faces a yawning budget deficit, educational and health needs, and an international terrorist threat. That makes this an odd moment to embark on a dispensable project of great expense," the paper wrote.

Analysts agreed that Bush had laid down a formidable challenge, and some doubted that the United States had the will to spend the huge sums necessary to establish and maintain a permanent base on the moon or send a mission to Mars.

"We have set these goals before and not met them," said James Lewis, director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.

"What makes this time different is that we have competition in space exploration -- from China and Europe. Being passed by one of these countries would damage US prestige. This might be enough incentive," he added.

Editor's Note: This is a breaking news report and may contain errors and other inaccuracies. Corrections are welcome and further reports on this subject will be posted to this file name. All rights reserved. � 2004 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only