Will President Change Course On Space Plan? U.S. Sen. LeMieux is Hopeful

U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., said in a phone call from Washington, D.C., today that it wouldn't make sense for President Barack Obama to do nothing but repeat bad news during his April 15th visit to Florida to discuss a NASA budget that grounds the agency's return to the moon and jettisons 7,000 aerospace jobs.

LeMieux said he plans to demand during the visit that the President promise that NASA will be given funding to return to the moon and then make the journey to Mars, and he wants the President to set a specific deadline for both goals.

He said he also wants the President to present an alternate plan for the United States to dominate the use of Low Earth Orbit vehicles if he insists on continuing the phase out of Kennedy Space Center's shuttle program. If an alternative is not found, Russia will gain the advantage in space exploration, LeMieux said.

"I think that the President is giving up America's exceptionalism," he said.