Newt Gingrich’s goal to establish a permanent moon base by 2020 if he is elected president would be costly and shouldn’t be the space program’s focus, said John Glenn, the first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. “Sometime we’ll go to the moon, but I think to have a lunar colony by 2020 is optimistic to say the least,” Glenn, 90, said by telephone from Columbus, Ohio. Glenn said he doubts the cost of a permanent base had been thought out in the middle of the political season, especially the expense of maintaining a colony. He called President George W. Bush’s decision to end the space shuttle program “a drastic mistake” and said the U.S. should be focusing on the boosters needed to reach the International Space Station.
No comments:
Post a Comment