theSun | THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 10 2009
news without borders
Obama to make case
for healthcare changes
WASHINGTON: President
Barack Obama takes on the
bitter healthcare reform debate
today with a high-stakes speech
to the US Congress on his top
domestic policy priority.
Aides have promised
Obama’s nationally televised
address will provide specifics
about his vision for overhaul-
ing the US$2.5 trillion (RM9
trillion) US healthcare system
– although they said he will not
offer his own legislation.
“The president will outline
his plan moving forward,” both
on healthcare and how to get
a bill passed by Congress, said
spokesman Robert Gibbs. “I
don’t think you’ll walk away
confused about where he is.”
Obama told ABC News in
an interview that he would use
his speech to “make sure that
Democrats and Republicans
understand that I’m open to
new ideas, that we’re not being
rigid and ideological about this
thing, but we do intend to get
something done this year.”
Elected last year on a plat-
form of change, Obama has
proposed a wide-ranging reform
of healthcare by cutting costs
and expanding coverage to the
46 million Americans without
health insurance.
But his fellow Democrats,
who have solid majorities in
both houses of Congress, have
struggled to craft a reform bill
while most Republicans have
fought it.
Insurance companies, phar-
maceutical manufacturers, hos-
pital managers – and average
American patients – all have
huge stakes in how the battle
plays out.
Obama’s speech marks a
new approach in the White
House’s effort to strike a deal
after a summer of sometimes
angry words and concern
over the scope and cost of the
healthcare overhaul dampen-
ing Obama’s approval ratings in
opinion polls.
Its success or failure could
help define the rest of Obama’s
term and perhaps his presi-
dency after Republicans took
control of the healthcare debate
during the summer with attacks
on Democratic proposals during
congressional town meetings.
“We’re at the point in the
legislative debate where he
needs to put some things on
the table and take some other
things off,” said Darrell West,
director of governance studies
at the Brookings Institution in
Washington.
The address to a joint ses-
sion of Congress will start at
8pm (8am on Thursday in
Malaysia) and last for about 30
minutes, Gibbs said. Polls say
many Americans plan to watch.
– Reuters
9
Nasa strategy proposal
aims for Mars over moon
CAPE CANAVERAL, (Florida): A Nasa strat- US$7.7 billion (RM26.9 billion) of a planned
egy proposal shifts the US human space pro- US$40 billion (RM140 billion) to develop a
gramme away from returning to the moon in new rocket and capsule for crew transport
favour of a stepping-stone approach aimed to the station and the moon, said Jeff Hanley,
at reaching Mars, according to a document of the post-shuttle programme – Constel-
seen by Reuters. lation. Nasa has drafted a proposal called
The proposal is not yet official policy but “Generation Mars” which envisions a 30-year
is the US space agency’s response to one blueprint for staging precursor missions to
of five options contained in review ordered asteroids and other destinations. – Reuters
by President Barack Obama
of Nasa’s post-shuttle pro-
gramme that plans to put
humans on the moon again The H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) is Japan’s first H-IIB
unmanned spacecraft designed to resupply ROCKET
by 2020. the International Space Station
A summary of the HTV inside
HTV COMPONENTS Pressurized carrier
Human Space Flight Re- 4.5 tonnes cargo
nosecone
view Committee report, Unpressurized carrier
1.5 tonnes cargo
released by the White Second
House on Tuesday, warned Avionics stage
however that there could module
be no meaningful future
First
human space exploration stage
programme without more
money.
Nasa already has spent Solid
rocket
boosters
Solar panels
TOKYO: Japan is getting
set to launch the H-II After 30 days of operations,
HTV will be loaded with station
Transfer Vehicle (HTV), Propulsion module
waste then destroyed upon
its first unmanned HTV SPECIFICATIONS reentry to Earth’s atmosphere
spacecraft designed Length 10 metres Cargo capacity 6 tonnes
to resupply the Diameter 4.4 metres Orbit altitude 350-460km
International Space Empty weight 10.5 tonnes Cost $220 million
Station. – Graphic News Source: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) © GRAPHIC NEWS