The United States will remain involved in the International Space Station to 2020 "or beyond", the head of the US space agency said as he unveiled President Barack Obama's budget pledge to NASA.
Obama's budget announcement that funding to NASA will be hiked six billion dollars over five years was a demonstration of "commitment to extend the life of the International Space Station, likely to 2020 or beyond," NASA administrator Charlie Bolden told a news conference.
"This will keep a commitment to our international partners and develop the full potential of this amazing orbiting laboratory," he said, putting a positive spin on the administration's plans for NASA.
The budget for the 2011 fiscal year calls for ending a costly program put in place under President George W. Bush to develop the Constellation next-generation rocket, which was to take astronauts back to the moon by 2020.
Obama's plans and funding for NASA call for the storied space agency to focus on near-earth orbits for years to come, concentrating on research and development.
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