Leading Space Groups Agree: It's Time For The Moon, Mars And Beyond | SpaceRef - Your Space Reference: "PRESS RELEASE
Date Released: Monday, May 10, 2004
Source: National Space Society
Leading Space Groups Agree: It's Time For The Moon, Mars And Beyond
In an unprecedented show of unity, thirteen of the nation's premier space advocacy groups, industry associations and space policy organizations have teamed up to support the effort to refocus NASA's human space activities toward exploration, including a return to the Moon and moving on to Mars and beyond.
The organizations involved include: Aerospace Industries Association, Aerospace States Association, American Astronautical Society, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, California Space Authority, Florida Space Authority, The Mars Society, National Coalition of Spaceport States, National Space Society, The Planetary Society, ProSpace, Space Access Society and Space Frontier Foundation.
Collectively these groups can count almost one million Americans as members or as employees of member companies. Their first goal as a group is to work for broad Congressional support of the new national vision for space exploration outside of low earth orbit, which they refer to as Moon, Mars and Beyond. To begin they will work to secure first year funding for the initiative, which they view as a necessary first step for in-depth planning of the exploration program to commence in earnest.
In addition they intend to aggressively refute the false impression that Moon, Mars and Beyond is too expensive for this country to take on. They will demonstrate how modest but steady growth in our national expenditures on space can move the nation toward these important goals, and the benefits those expenditures will provide. "

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