US President George W Bush's budget for the 2006 fiscal has made a provision for funds to develop a new space vehicle to transport humans to the moon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration must develop technologies and perform research that will sustain human and advanced robotic explorers far away from earth, the budget papers said.
Among the key systems NASA must acquire is a vehicle that will transport crews in a safe and reliable manner. The agency has identified the requirements for a Crew Exploration Vehicle to carry astronauts to the Moon. NASA plans to perform flight tests in 2008 and the first manned flight in 2014.
NASA plans to have humans in the moon by 2020 to learn how to live over long periods of time, it said.
The president's budget also has provisions to provide NASA with resources to continue to operate space telescopes such as the Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer. It also emphasises on the need for next generation spacecraft.
Meanwhile, NASA will continue to work with other government agencies to develop nuclear technologies to provide energy sources for extended human stays on the Moon and Mars.
Equally important to NASA's technology efforts, said the papers, is improving understanding of how long-duration space flight may affect human health and physiology. "NASA will engage in research on the International Space Station and on earth to learn about and develop ways to improve human tolerance of the space environment."
Bush's budget has allocated more funds for science and technology this year than the last.
