Posted: Mon, Mar 8, 2010, 6:03 AM ET (1103 GMT)
The White House announced Sunday that President Barack Obama will host a conference in April to discuss his administration's new vision for space. The conference, scheduled for April 15 in Florida, will include NASA officials and "other space leaders" to discuss the new plan and its implications for both Florida and the nation. Few other details about the event, including the exact location of the conference, have been released yet. The administration has been seen in many quarters to be on the defensive regarding its new plan, which calls for canceling the Constellation program and instead investing more in technology development and commercial human spaceflight. Officials in Florida are particularly concerned that the end of Constellation, coupled with the impending retirement of the shuttle, could devastate the economy of the Space Coast region of the state.

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•  Los Angeles Times article