NASA and Mars

As broad-stroke ideas, President Bush's ambitious plans for another manned moon flight - and one ultimately to Mars - have much merit.

The proposals offer long-term vision and set achievable goals for NASA, which has floundered at times and suffered through some terrible setbacks, including the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia last year.

Confidence in the space agency has certainly increased after the successful landing of the Spirit rover on Mars this month. In this regard, Bush's announcement Wednesday was perfectly timed.

But how his plans actually come together remains to be seen. ...

At some point, a new spacecraft capable of carrying crews to an international space station, and beyond, would make sense.

While the president's plans are lofty, he didn't come close to committing the necessary funds for these projects, nor is he in a position to do so. ...

Bush offered a fair blueprint. But NASA will have no choice but to move more slowly than it wants, building more public confidence in the space agency one project at a time.

-- The Poughkeepsie Journal, Poughkeepsie, New York