By Paul Recer
The Associated Press

Q: What is the president proposing?

A: To send astronauts back to the moon and establish an "extended presence." Later in the century, astronauts would go to Mars.

Q: How much will this cost?

A: The president is proposing to add $1 billion to NASA's budget over the next five years and to redirect funds now in the space agency budget toward the moon-Mars plan. But that will be just startup funds for an effort that will take hundreds of billions of dollars.

Q: What is planned for the moon?

A: The plan calls for exploration of the lunar surface by robot craft by 2008 and the landing of astronauts there as early as 2015 "with the goal of living and working there for increasingly extended periods."

Q: How will astronauts get to the moon?

A: The president is calling for development of a new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, which would fly to the moon. The craft could also be used to ferry people between Earth and the International Space Station.

Q: What happens to the space shuttle?

A: The shuttle will be used to complete construction of the space station, then will be retired by the end of this decade.

Q: What happens to the International Space Station?

A: Construction will be completed by 2010. U.S. research there will then focus on the effects of long-term space flight on humans.

Q: When will astronauts go to Mars?

A: Some officials suggested it would be after 2030.