Japan panel proposes sending robot to moon by 2020, astronaut by 2030

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TOKYO, March 6 Kyodo -
Japan should attempt to send a robot to the moon by 2020 and an astronaut by
2030 to explore its natural resources, a government panel proposed Friday.
The feasibility of the proposal is uncertain, however, as the Japanese
government has not even discussed whether to develop a manned rocket or
spaceship.
The secretariat of the government's space development strategy task force,
headed by Prime Minister Taro Aso, made the proposal at a meeting of a research
panel of experts on Friday.
Some members of the panel questioned the feasibility of the plan, including
whether Japan should shoulder all development costs, expected to be several
trillion yen, or seek international cooperation.
The task force has not studied whether Japan should prioritize manned space
projects in its future space development blueprint.
It is thus not known if the proposal will be included in the task force's space
development plan report to be issued in May.
The proposal calls for using a robot by around 2020 to assess the possibility
of developing unknown natural resources on the moon.
It says an astronaut should be sent to the moon sometime between 2025 and 2030
to work with the robot in pursuing exploration of resources.
==Kyodo
2009-03-06 20:51:23