Space Exploration Initiative

Lore & Background

The Space Exploration Initiative was announced by President George H. W. Bush on July 20, 1989, in a speech on the steps of the National Air and Space Museum. He proposed not a 10-year Apollo-style plan but a long-range commitment based on three elements: Space Station Freedom, a permanent return to the Moon, and a manned mission to Mars. Vice President Dan Quayle was asked to lead the National Space Council in determining the required money, manpower, and technology. Execution was assigned to NASA, which produced the '90-Day Study' in November 1989, estimating the cost at approximately 500 billion dollars over 20 to 30 years. The National Academy of Sciences largely concurred, but White House and Congressional reaction was hostile, primarily due to the cost estimate. Democratic members of Congress, including Senator Jim Sasser and Senator Al Gore, criticized the plan sharply. President Bush sought international partners, but the program was thought too expensive even for an international endeavor.

Reader's Guide

The Space Exploration Initiative represented a major post-Apollo attempt to re-establish human exploration beyond Earth orbit, but it failed to gain political and financial support. The 90-Day Study's high cost estimate triggered immediate opposition from Congress, and the initiative never moved beyond planning. Vice President Quayle's Augustine Commission in 1990 recommended a 'go-as-you-pay' strategy, and under NASA Administrator Dan Goldin, near-term human exploration beyond Earth orbit was abandoned in favor of robotic missions. By 1996, the Clinton administration's National Space Policy lacked any mention of human exploration beyond Earth orbit, and President Clinton stated that a human mission to Mars was too expensive. The initiative's legacy includes detailed studies such as the First Lunar Outpost and the International Lunar Resources Exploration Concept, which influenced later exploration concepts. Its failure highlighted the difficulty of sustaining long-term, high-cost space goals without consistent political and budgetary commitment.

Did You Know?

• The initiative was announced on the 20th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
• Vice President Dan Quayle led the National Space Council for the initiative.
• The initiative did not survive into the administration of President Bill Clinton.