NASA unveiled on Monday its plan to return Americans to moon by 2018 by the use of a new and more capable space vehicle combining proven designs and technologies in Apollo and space shuttle programs.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin told a news briefing that the first human landing on the moon since 1972 would cost 104 billion US dollars, 55 percent of the Apollo cost. It would likely take place in 2018, with four people for a stay of four to seven days.

President George W. Bush announced in January last year that NASA would retire the space shuttles by 2010 and return Americans to the moon by 2020 aboard a new space vehicle, as a first step towards manned flight to Mars and beyond.

The new vehicle's debut orbiting is expected to be no earlier than 2012. It could carry up to six people, instead of Apollo's three, and be able to stay in lunar orbit for six months, according to Griffin.

"This spacecraft and systems will build upon the foundation of the proven designs and technologies used in the Apollo and space shuttle programs, while having far greater capability," said Griffin.

"It is very Apollo-like" but "bigger". "Think Apollo on steroids."

The new system would involve a capsule to carry people, and a separate heavy-lift vehicle to ship cargo, with each sitting atop a rocket. They would be separately launched with the cargo vehicle going first and get hooked up in the earth orbit.

After the docking, the space vehicle would be propelled to lunar orbit. The cargo vehicle includes a landing craft, whose bottom half is meant to stay on the moon as a long-term base. Moon walkers would go back to the crew capsule in the top half of the lander and travel back to the earth.

The landing site would be at Edwards Air Force Base in California. NASA plans to let astronauts to float down with the help of parachutes and airbags.

Griffin also said the new space vehicle would use some shuttle components, including the solid rocket booster, the main engine and the external tank.

Source: Xinhua