Washington.
"We need to initiate an intensive exploration program in deep space beyond Mars, mainly including Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, or Neptune, which might involve potential manned landing missions."
Robert's first sentence made Musk open his mouth in surprise, looking uncertainly towards the others.
Representatives from military-industrial consortia such as Boeing, Rom, and Grumman, who were all executives of at least vice-president level, had equally expressive reactions.
They had come here originally because NACA had released news of expanding the Mars program for tenders, but as soon as people had gathered, they heard this explosive piece of news.
They all looked towards Robert at the front, finding no hint of jest in his manner.
In terms of deep space exploration, NACA's position is still far ahead, even after cutting most of its exploration plans after the millennium.
