The Nation - News from Dec. 20, 1988

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration unveiled an ambitious blueprint that could establish a manned lunar observatory, put astronauts on the Martian moon Phobos or send them to the red planet itself by early next century. NASA officials had no cost estimates for the plan but said it could be achieved with “modest” funding through the 1990s to lay the foundation for missions that would begin after the year 2000. The blueprint is contained in a report, “Beyond Earth’s Boundaries: Human Exploration of the Solar System in the 21st Century,” that addresses President Reagan’s directive on space policy, issued last January, which sets a long-range goal “to expand human presence and activity beyond Earth orbit into the solar system.”