/ Source: Reuters
President Barack Obama will outline plans on Thursday to increase NASA's budget by $6 billion over five years and create 2,500 new jobs in Florida as part of a space policy aimed at ultimately going to Mars.
White House officials said Obama wants to develop a new heavy-lift rocket as part of a plan that will allow space engineers to develop a scaled-down version of a space capsule that was scheduled to have been canceled.
"This new strategy means more money for NASA, more jobs for the country, more astronaut time in space, and more investments in innovation," said a senior White House official.
Many of NASA's facilities are located in Florida.
