NASA presents various plans for the future of space colonization to the U.S. Congress: with $9 billion a year, NASA could land humans on Mars, establish permanent bases on the Moon and in lunar orbit, a 50-person Earth-orbiting station, and a reusable shuttle to support all of this; with $8 billion a year, NASA would do all of the above except the lunar orbiting station; with $5 billion a year, NASA could only build the space shuttle and the Earth-orbiting station, but lunar exploration would have to be abandoned; Nixon rejects all three options and demands a fourth, even cheaper option; it’s the official end of the space race; the feats accomplished during this golden age of technology have been so incredible that, literally thirty years later, many won’t believe it…
