ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico The new space vision scripted by U.S. President George W. Bush will put to the test the ability of NASA and the space community to focus talent and money to turn rhetoric into reality.

Former Congressman Robert Walker praised the Bush space initiative, but waved a few cautionary flags.

Walker is a member of the newly created Presidential Commission on Implementation of United States Space Exploration Policy, headed by former Air Force Secretary Edward C. Aldridge, Jr. That group is to complete their study by the first part of June, he said.

The President has scripted a human and robotic program, one that calls for -- among a number of objectives -- a human return to the Moon no later than by 2020. With the Moon used as a test bed for hardware and honing other space skills, a humans-to-Mars effort could follow within the following decade.

Walker chided the audience, noting theyve long hungered for a Kennedy-like space proclamation, but now that "we got it the question is, are we going to help sell it?"

Walker said for the vision to become reality, "there has to be a public acceptance and a congressional buy-in." He urged the broad space community not to divide and protect efforts that won't move the new space agenda forward. There will be winners and losers in implementing a sharply focused plan, he said.

But if focus is lost, "it will be another 20 or 30 years before another President will step out to make a statement again," Walker said.

"I really believe that if we can show that this program will create the base of knowledge off which we will build leadership, off which we will build new products, off which we will build economic dominancethen weve got a chance of having a program thats not just a flash-in-the-pan, but is a program capable of being sustained for 20 or 30 years," Walker said.

A key step in putting the Presidents vision into place is to demonstrate to policy makers and the public that whats being advocated is not a huge add-on to the NASA budget. What is being called for equates to $500 billion spread out over three decades.

"It represents the money NASA is going to spend anyway," Walker said. "The question then becomes do you want the money spent in a focused way or in an unfocused way? That is the debate in Congress thats going to have to take place in this election year, he said.

"Are you going to permit this new program to go forwarda far more focused expenditure of NASA money for the next 20 years? Thats going to be an interesting debate," Walker said.

Walker underscored a number of issues that must also play into implementing the Presidents vision for space.

"All things cant be done inside government budgets. Youve got to figure out a way to bring investment money from the global economy into whatever you do in terms of big projects in space," Walker noted.

Walker cited other issues to be wrestled with, such as: export controls and the health of the supplier base of the U.S. aerospace industry; the role of "our foreign friends" in shaping the new space exploration agenda; and dealing with huge workforce problems while inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Another concern, Walker said, is the inability of U.S. government agencies to work together, collaboratively sharing not only technical expertise but funds.

"If the Presidents program is going to succeed, he cannot afford to waste resources because we cant get agencies to work together," Walker added.

Flagship effort

There is need to educate both Congress and the general public that space is important and that nuclear power and propulsion is an important part of space.

That view was highlighted by Alan Newhouse, Director of Project Prometheus at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Prometheus initiative is rapidly progressing, he added, although with some technical and managerial growing pains.

Work is underway on the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter, or JIMO for short. This flagship effort is a science-driven mission. It is also a major demonstration of nuclear technology, Newhouse said.

"Were not going to build this spacecraft using unobtaniumit has to be realistic. Its got to be something that can be done," Newhouse told the audience. "Right now, JIMO is a whale."

Industry studies of how best to pursue JIMO are now being assessed by NASA.

JIMO would enable detailed scientific investigation and data return from the icy moons of Jupiter: Callisto, Ganymede and Europa.

Newhouse pointed in particular to Europa and its puzzling icy facade.

"Theres got to be something going on and that something seems to be water underneath that ice," Newhouse said. "We may see things weve never dreamt of seeing before. Thats the whole fun of itwere going to find things we dont even know what they are."

"We can reach farbut not so far that we cant grasp," Newhouse said, urging that young engineers and scientists consider pursuing a career in space nuclear power.