Houston, we have … an opportunity, maybe.
A new White House directive lays out a fresh vision for the space program, with manned missions to the moon – and then to mars.
President Trump says he wants the U.S. to be the driving force for the space industry.
That would be a major boost for Houston, of course, because it’s the home of the Johnson Space Center.
The main issue is funding, notes Dr. David Alexander, the head of the Rice Space Institute.
Supporters say funding Trump's vision would mean new discoveries ... and new jobs ... here at home.
It’s not your grandfather's NASA, either, Today, the U.S. program is just part of a space community that includes private companies like SpaceX and other countries like China.
It's also been 45 years since the U.S. put a man on the moon.
We've done the moon thing here, of course – but Mars would be a huge new project for scientists in Houston and elsewhere.