Jan. 9 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush next week will announce plans to send U.S. astronauts to Mars and establish a permanent human outpost on the moon, an administration official said.

``The president is strongly committed to the exploration of space,'' White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters last night. McClellan declined to provide details. An administration official who asked not to be named confirmed that Bush will propose sending U.S. astronauts to Mars and building a permanent space station on the moon.

Bush vowed after the Columbia space shuttle broke up over Texas last year, killing seven astronauts, that space exploration would go on, McClellan noted.

A revived deep-space target may boost NASA's budget and mean expanded business for companies such as Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. that already are major contractors. The prospect of major budget increases for space programs is complicated by concerns about a U.S. budget deficit that is projected to reach $500 billion this fiscal year.

William Readdy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's associate administrator of space flight, declined to comment on Bush's plans last night.

Humans haven't traveled more than 500 miles (about 800 kilometers) from Earth since the last lunar landing in 1972.

Bush vowed last month in a speech honoring the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' first flight that Americans will continue to excel in ``every area of aviation and space travel,'' citing the exploration of Mars.

``By our skill and daring, we will continue to lead the world in flight,'' Bush said.

Spirit

Bush's announcement next week would come as NASA's robot explorer Spirit, which landed on Mars Jan. 3, is scheduled to begin moving around the surface of the red planet.

The successful landing of the Spirit space probe on Mars marked a boost for U.S. space efforts 11 months after the shuttle Columbia disaster and as problems continue on the International Space Station.

The space station is experiencing a ``slightly larger than normal'' loss in air pressure and flight controllers are monitoring the situation, NASA said this week.

NASA has relied on Russian spacecraft to take supplies and crews to and from the outpost, the costliest space project ever, since the U.S. space shuttle fleet was grounded after the Columbia in February.

Bush's space announcement would come in the midst of his race for re-election. Iowa Democrats Jan. 19 will hold caucuses to help choose a nominee from among eight democrats vying to challenge Bush in November's election. Bush is unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Last Updated: January 9, 2004 00:11 EST