The body, dubbed the President's Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration policy, will "provide recommendations" on a host of issues tied to Bush's blueprint, the White House said in a statement.

The president called two weeks ago for development of a new spacecraft capable of traveling to the moon as early as 2015, then possibly on to Mars.

The commission will study questions like the availability of lunar natural resources that could be used for sustainable human and robotic missions; how to choose future destinations for human exploration; and how to encourage young Americans to study math, science and engineering, the statement said.

The panel must submit its first report 120 days after its first meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.

SPACE.WIRE