Spaceref link to "Write the President: The Future of Human Spaceflight"

Dear Members and Supporters:

It is time to take action and write the President!

The future of the United States space program is at stake. Its human spaceflight program is grounded, and the purposes that it serves are being questioned -- by Congress, by the media, and by the general public. The Bush Administration is now conducting a high-level review of U.S. space policy with the goal of issuing a Presidential Directive, perhaps in a few weeks. It may set the course for human spaceflight -- and all space exploration -- for a generation.

This is the time - perhaps the only time for the foreseeable future - to influence U.S. space policy and the course of space exploration. We urge our members and all those who care about our future in space to write the President now.

You can write the president at: http://planetary.org/action/president_email.html

As members of The Planetary Society, and as visitors to our web site, you are familiar with our position. You can read about it in the statements delivered by the Society's Chairman of the Board, Bruce Murray, and Society President, Wesley T. Huntress, Jr. to the House Science Committee. They urged that America's human space flight program be drastically revised, and retargeted at human exploration beyond Earth orbit -- with the ultimate goal of establishing a human outpost on Mars. The current shuttle-focused program has shackled us to Earth orbit for more than 30 years, and promises to do so for another two decades. Even the International Space Station drifts aimlessly. A program aimed at Mars could change all that by providing a single unifying goal for human and robotic space ventures.

We take no position on how to reach the goal of sending human explorers to Mars. That can be decided once the goal is established. Important questions remain to be addressed on whether a human return to the Moon is a necessary step or on the role of interim milestones. The Society advocates a national commitment to a progressive, well-paced Mars human flight program, that can be accomplished within realistic funding levels.

This is the simple message we believe must be conveyed to the President. The U.S. human spaceflight program should be directed to send humans to Mars.

Act Now!

link to automated E-mail form

Sincerely,

Louis Friedman
Executive Director
The Planetary Society

Just another "minor" group that thinks Mars is the ultimate near term destination. ;-)

Regards,
Mark