NASA plans to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 , build U.S. by 2020 . NASA new fleet of space vehicles will replace the space shuttles . `` Relying on the Russians between when we 're retiring the shuttle and having the Constellation program flying is something that I 'm not very proud of , '' said former Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Crippen , who piloted the first space shuttle mission in 1981 . Critics say Constellation Program 's should skip the moon and set its sights directly on the Red Planet . Independent panel is reviewing plans and looking at `` potential alternatives ''
NASA plans to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 , build U.S. by 2020 . NASA new fleet of space vehicles will replace the space shuttles . Critics say Constellation Program 's should skip the moon and set its sights directly on the Red Planet . Independent panel is reviewing plans and looking at `` potential alternatives ''