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Britain May Take Part In Manned Space Race

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By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, The Associated Press

Published: February 15, 2008

LONDON - Britain is rethinking its decision to stay out of the manned space race, the country's science minister said Thursday as the government outlined plans to build an international space research facility.
Science Minister Ian Pearson said it is time to reconsider Britain's 1986 decision not to invest in a manned space flight program, predicting the world is going to witness "a new international wave of new space exploration in the next 10 to 20 years."

"What we want to do is review the situation to make sure the U.K. does not get left behind," he told British Broadcasting Corp. radio.

Pearson said a review examining Britain's manned spaceflight options would come out either this year or next.

In the short term, Britain is likely to remain focused on robotic space exploration, he said.

Pearson was speaking to mark the launch of Britain's civil space strategy, which includes a plan to build a research park in Harwell, a town near Oxford and about 65 miles west of London.

Britain's space industry, which contributes some $13.7 billion to the country's economy annually, is lobbying for a more assertive space program.

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