The launch of India's maiden unmanned mission to Moon on Wednesday prompted Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama to underline the need for the United States to revitalise its space programme "to remain the undisputed leader in space".
"With India's launch of its first unmanned lunar spacecraft following closely on the heels of China's first spacewalk, we are reminded just how urgently the United States must revitalise its space programme if we are to remain the undisputed leader in space, science, and technology," Senator Obama said.
Obama, who is ahead in most opinion polls for the November presidential election, stressed on the importance for the US to train new scientists and engineers for the next generation so as not to "let other countries surpass" American technical capabilities.
"We must not only retain our space workforce so that we don't let other countries surpass our technical capabilities; we must train new scientists and engineers for the next generation,'' Obama said in a statement.
He said his plan to revitalize the space programme and close the gap between the Space Shuttle's retirement and its next-generation replacement includes $2 billion more for NASA -- but more money alone is not enough," the Illinois Democrat added.
"My comprehensive space policy focuses on reaching new frontiers through human space exploration, tapping the ingenuity of our commercial space entrepreneurs, fostering a broad research agenda to break new ground on the world's leading scientific discoveries, and engaging students through educational programmes that excite them about space and science," Obama said.
The Democrat Party leader said as a child he had been inspired by the splashdown of Apollo. "As a child, I remember sitting on my grandfather's shoulders and watching the Apollo astronauts return from a splashdown to Hickam Air Force Base, dreaming of where they had been," Obama noted.
"It inspired my imagination and gave me confidence in what we as Americans could achieve. It's time for a space programme that inspires our children again," he underlined.
"As President, I will lead our space programme boldly into the 21st Century - so when my daughters, and all our children, look up to the skies, they see Americans leading the way into the deepest reaches of our solar system," the Democratic nominee said.
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