Florida space conference planned

by Mark Silva

JACSKONVILLE, Fla. -- The return to the moon may be on hold.

But the space program goes on, and President Barack Obama is planning a White House conference on the administration's vision for a future in space.

On April 15, the president will host a conference with other top officials and space program administraitors tol discuss "the new course the administration is charting for NASA and the future of U.S. leadership in human space flight,'' the White House announced today.

As the administraition pulls back on funding for another moon mission, the White House says the conference will focus on "the goals and strategies in this new vision, the next steps, and the new technologies, new jobs, and new industries it will create.''

In a state hard-hit by the recession, with "bank-owned'' and "short-sale'' as common a sign on the streets here lately as the "closed'' signs on strip malls and even Wendy's -- an election year in which both the governor's office and a Senate seat are up for grabs -- the conference also will focus on the program's potential impact on Florida.

In the aftermath of a review that has found that "the previous program to return astronauts to the moon was fundamentally un-executable,'' the president has proposed an additional $6 billion for NASA in his 2011 federal budget. This is intended to underwrite "a more dynamic, flexible, and sustainable trajectory that can propel us on a new journey of innovation and discovery,'' the White House said today.

The strategy includes investment in a program for travel to the "nearby Solar System neighborhood in a more effective and affordable way,'' laying a foundation for journeys to the moon asteroids, and eventually to Mars.

In Florida, that means an additional $1.9 billion over five years "to ensure that the Florida space coast remains a world-class space launch facility for decades to come,'' the White House says. That includes a new commercial crew transportation industry that f could create as many as 1,700 new jobs in the Sunshine State.