The U.S. space program needs a figurative "shot-in-the-arm," or maybe it is a "kick-in-the-butt." Whatever it is, it is time to wake up and smell the urgency of the situation. Last week Launchspace pointed out that America is building another Apollo-type capsule in order to return to the moon as part of a "ho-hum" and troubled Constellation Program.

The objective of a leading space program should be to go where no one has gone before. But, by the time astronauts again walk on the moon, it may well be cluttered with taikonauts and cosmonauts. There may even be a lunar landing fee due to congestion.

Are there any taxpayers outside the DC Beltway that want to pay to go back to the moon, rather than pay for going someplace new? Unlikely!

This is what I think would be much more exciting and beneficial for America and the U.S. space program: Go somewhere that no one else can even seriously contemplate - astronauts on Mars or on an asteroid. The immediate first reaction will surely include comments like:

"It's too expensive."

"It's too hard."

"Congress will never go for it."

Let me address these concerns. The development and execution of a human Mars or asteroid mission would likely span 20 years. The cost could be spread over that timeframe. NASA is requesting a total of $18.69 billion for 2010, of which $3.5 billion is designated for the Constellation Program. By 2012, Constellation is slated to get $5.54 billion annually.

The Space Shuttle and ISS Programs get a total of $5 - $7 billion annually. My proposal calls for refocusing these budgets toward a variety of possible solar system missions. Take the total current and projected annual budget allocations for Shuttle, ISS and Constellation, roughly $10.5 - $12.5 billion, and commit these funds for the next 20 years to crewed missions beyond Earth's influence.

This implies a total commitment of up to $250 billion to send astronauts to Mars or asteroids, but at the same funding rate that NASA expects for Constellation. These funds would be used to take the following steps:

1. Extend the Space Shuttle Program for another 20 years and use it exclusively for transportation between Earth and the ISS. This eliminates the need and expense of developing Ares I and Ares V. The Shuttle is a proven crew and cargo transportation system between Earth and the ISS.

2. Convert the ISS into an assembly, integration, test, launch and recovery facility for human interplanetary exploration vehicles. Human interplanetary missions will require both crewed-exploration and robotic-support spacecraft to assure safety and to satisfy all mission architecture needs.

3. Build all solar-system mission hardware in modules on the ground and deliver them to the ISS with the Shuttle. This might include inflatable structures, space-based propulsion systems and other systems for travelling beyond low Earth orbit. These in-space-assembled systems will represent a new class of interplanetary spacecraft, dedicated to missions beyond near-Earth.

4. Extend current ISS international collaborations with the new objective of interplanetary exploration. Foreign partners can be asked to participate and contribute.

This approach takes maximum advantage of existing systems and hardware to create the basic near-Earth infrastructure for solar system exploration. Furthermore, it eliminates a very expensive and troubled development program to build and operate two new Earth-to-orbit launch systems.

Most importantly, human Mars-and-beyond missions will put the U.S. squarely back into a space leadership position that has been slipping away for the past several years. It will energize American innovation and creativity to levels not seen since the 1960s' Apollo Program. It will motivate more university research and act as a magnet for attracting more American youngsters to enter science and engineering degree programs.

Is such a program hard? Yes, but the journey will be well worth the effort!

There are several advantages to the proposed approach. The Space Shuttle already exists and can carry heavy payloads to and from low Earth orbit. In fact, the Shuttle provides about half the total energy to get to Mars and many asteroids, and it offers needed reentry shielding for returning astronauts.

Much of the interplanetary transportation technology already exists. There will be new and exciting research programs in human factors, life support and protection systems, space power generation, interplanetary navigation and communications, and many others.

Will Congress pay for it? The U.S. economy needs programs that stimulate growth and support a strong dollar. A Mars-and-beyond program would be less costly than current stimulus packages, but would stimulate individual and collective ingenuity and productivity, two important ingredients for American growth and progress.

Furthermore, there is a good chance the U.S. will find several willing international partners who will contribute to the program. And, if NASA is creative, it will get the general public involved in the program in order to assure continued support from start to finish.

I have no doubt this is the kind of program that will raise the bar and challenge the international community to a worthwhile space endeavor. It will surely motivate innovative thinking, create entrepreneurial ventures and help to assure sustained American leadership, prosperity and security.