Space Plan Envisions Apollo As Model; Versatile Craft Is Key to Bush Program From: The Washington Post | Date: January 10, 2004| Author: Eric Pianin | Copyright 2004 The Washington Post. This material is published under license from the Washington Post.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post.Copyright information

In his call for Americans to return to the moon and then forge on to Mars, President Bush next week will urge Congress to invest in developing a powerful and versatile new spacecraft, modeled on the 1960s-vintage Apollo program, to replace the aging fleet of space shuttles.

Bush will seek an increase of 5 percent a year in NASA's $15.5 billion budget beginning in fiscal 2005, and he has ordered a major reordering of the space agency's spending priorities to fund initiatives that wou...