In the USA they want to revive the Prometheus project to fly to Mars in fast nuclear spacecraft

While Israel is closely monitoring its first representative outside the atmosphere, the American space agency is already working on the next challenge: launching the first man towards the Red Planet, using a rocket powered by nuclear energy. President Bush may announce the launch of the "Prometheus" project as early as the end of the month 

 While the first Israeli astronaut wanders in space, NASA is already thinking about the next challenge: sending a man to Mars.

Bush may announce this month: a man will be sent to Mars

NASA is developing a nuclear rocket that will be used to travel to the planet. It is still unclear whether Bush will adopt the plan, due to its cost
The US hopes to send an astronaut to the planet Mars, with the help of a nuclear-powered rocket, according to a senior NASA official. As part of the ambitious program of the American space agency, humans will be able to be sent on a two-month journey to Mars in a space shuttle whose speed will be three times higher than the speed of existing shuttles.

US President George W. Bush may announce the program, known as "Project Prothemeus," in his address to the nation on January 28, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. However, no final decision has yet been made regarding the adoption of the project by Bush, due to its high cost.

"We are talking about a very tough schedule, not only in terms of developing the launch capability and nuclear propulsion, but also in terms of the ambition to launch a task force with the help of this cutting-edge technology as early as this decade," said NASA's Sean O'Keefe.

Today, the space shuttle cruises at 18 miles per hour. The goal is to build a new shuttle that will use small nuclear reactors to achieve higher speed. This means that the spacecraft will be able to reach Mars in two months. A spacecraft of the current generation can in principle reach Mars in six to seven months.
"We were and still are limited to the same speed for 40 years," O'Keefe said. "With the new technology, the next place we go will be limited only by our imagination."

The limitations, however, can be due to other factors. As the United States enters a recession and faces high spending due to the war in Iraq, Congress may not be happy to sign an open check for a multibillion-dollar project that may fail.

When George W. Bush Sr. proposed a similar plan to land on Mars in 1989, it was rejected by Congress. The idea aroused little enthusiasm in American public opinion at the time. However, the current president's plan has its appeal as it will provide employment to many scientists and engineers and improve the image of the American space industry.

There is precedent for announcing this type of project during a national crisis: President Nixon announced the space program during a recession, as a way to bring economic growth to California.

NASA is expected to ask Boeing for assistance in building the rocket. The project could provide an economic boost to employment in the Southern California space industry area. NASA announced last year that it intends to spend one billion dollars in the next five years on developing a nuclear missile.
News from the agencies

As part of the American Space Agency's "Prometheus" project, astronauts are supposed to embark on a series of journeys, each lasting two months, towards the "Red Planet". The rocket with which they will be launched on the journey will be powered by nuclear energy, which will give the spaceship a cruise speed three times higher than what is accepted today. Already last year, NASA announced that it would invest a sum of one billion dollars over five years for the development of the new rocket.

The "Los Angeles Times" newspaper reports that US President George Bush may announce the ambitious plan in the upcoming "State of the Nation" speech, which he will deliver on the 28th of the month. The president will express his country's commitment to the exploration of Mars, and to the development of the nuclear rocket propulsion system. He will announce that the issue is a high priority on the administration's agenda, and that many resources will be directed in his favor.

Journey duration: two months only

The tremendous speed at which the spacecraft are expected to move should bring them to the fourth star in the solar system in just two months. This is compared to a journey of six or seven months that is required for this today, at a speed that "only" reaches 30 thousand kilometers per hour. "We have been limited to the same speed for 40 years," explains NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. "But thanks to the new technology, only our imagination will limit the goals we will reach."

O'Keeffe and his colleagues at the space agency know, however, that the road to launching the project is still long: in light of the recession in the United States, and the fear of huge expenses on the eve of the war with Iraq, it is doubtful whether the American Congress will be enthusiastic about the allocation of billions of dollars in favor of the pretentious program, for which there is no guarantee of success. When George Bush Sr. proposed a similar plan in 1989, it was Congress that thwarted the initiative, and the public reacted to it with indifference.

The goal: to "recruit" students into the industry

The expected presidential announcement on the Mars project is intended, in part, to introduce a new spirit of enthusiasm among scientists and engineers, after many of the pioneers of the space programs have retired and their replacements have not yet been found. In recent years, there has been a trend in the US of a decrease in the number of students studying in the faculties of engineering and space science, and NASA hopes that the new project will bring about the long-awaited turnaround.

The president's direct announcement of such an ambitious project, precisely in a time of crisis, has a precedent in American history: President Nixon announced the space shuttle project during a recession, in order to give a boost to the economy. The new missile project, in the development of which the airline "Boeing" is supposed to be involved, is supposed to help reduce unemployment in Southern California.