After the recent news of funding cuts at NASA and the abandonment of the proposed American return to the Moon in 2020, US President Barack Obama is set to announce heavy investment in technological developments which may open up more effective travel to other bodies in the Solar System.
At a conference to be held in Florida next month, Obama will announce investment of around 6 billion dollars to transition space transport development to commercial bodies, while earmarking further funds for the development of new technologies.
Whilst the announcements may well be seen as a political tool, given the heavy investment in the Florida region that comes from NASA and space-related activities, it is a clear indication that the current White House is more supportive of NASA and human exploration of space than the previous funding cuts had indicated.
These developments may well increase the chance of manned missions to Mars and other bodies, such as asteroids.
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