Apr 14 1988
From The Space Library
NASA Administrator Dr. James C. Fletcher stated that the Moon, rather than Mars, may be the best initial destination for possible U.S./U.S.S.R. human-assisted missions. "Going to the Moon together would give the two leading spacefaring nations in the world an opportunity to build a stable base for further cooperation, which could, one day, lead to a cooperative mission to Mars," he said. Speaking before the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Fletcher cited timing, cooperative experience, and technical readiness as three crucial factors favoring the Moon for an initial cooperative crew-tended mission.
Dr. Fletcher described 1988 as "perhaps the most critical year in the history of the U.S. civil space program," and he refuted the notion that American space leadership was lost.
Dr. Fletcher said the Administration's fiscal year 1989 budget request for NASA provided the resources to reestablish U.S. leadership in space. (Excerpts from Remarks Prepared for Delivery, National Space Symposium, U.S. Space Foundation, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Apr 14/88; NASA Release 88-52)
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