NASA would be open to an approach by Bermuda for money to fund a proposed $8 million project to turn the space agency?s former tracking station at St. David?s into a national park and nature reserve.

Whether or not the Government would be successful in its approach is another matter and to date the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has not been asked to help out with the scheme.

The national park and nature reserve idea for the now derelict NASA base at Cooper?s Island was presented in a draft report to the house of Assembly last Friday.

A spokesman for the space agency said it was not beyond the realm of possibility that it would offer some funding to a project related to its former tracking station, which played a role in the Gemini, Apollo and Skylab missions before it was abandoned in 2001.

Questions were asked in the House after Environment Minister Neletha Butterfield presented a draft report that included a breakdown of costings and potential funders.

NASA was highlighted as a potential source of funding to restore the former mission control building into a visitor centre and museum, turn the radar building into an astronomy centre and wildlife observation tower and give the area a general environmental clean-up.

The cost for these three aspects of the project would be in the region of $5 million, of which the Government would seek an unspecified proportion from NASA and other international funders.

However, Shadow Environment Minister Cole Simons asked if it was likely the space agency would give further money to Bermuda in light of the $11 million it handed over in 2001 when it departed the Island, and UBP leader Dr. Grant Gibbons also wondered if any approach had been made to see if such a request would be considered by NASA. Doc Mirelson, a NASA spokesman, said: ?This is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. We have done other things like this.?

He said the agency has an international relations division that deals with funding and grant requests from oversees countries.

Depending on the amount of funding requested NASA may be able to make a payment from its own discretionary budget, or if it is a larger amount refer the request to those overseeing its annual budget. Requests for very large amounts of funding would need to go all the way to the US Congress. Mr. Mirelson added that, at this time, he was unaware of any funding request from the Bermuda Government.