KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — The Big Island may become the center of the universe for U.S. space projects. At least that is the vision of the director of a space research program at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Frank Schowengerdt, director of Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, or PISCES, said the Big Island is the ideal spot on Earth for kick-starting NASA's plans to put men and women on the moon and Mars permanently.

"We're going back (to the moon) and we're going back to stay by 2018 or 2020," he said. "We want a permanent presence on the moon and PISCES has a permanent place on the Big Island."

The PISCES program, which scored $400,000 last year from the Legislature, bills itself as an international research and education center for the development of technologies to sustain human life on the moon and beyond.

Its mission is to advance the settlement of space through partnerships with industry, academia, NASA and space agencies around the world, Schowengerdt said. Future funding likely will come from federal and state sources, as well as private donations and grants.

The program last month was instrumental in NASA's successful tests of equipment to turn soil into oxygen and water on the slopes of Mauna Kea. That is only the beginning, Schowengerdt said.

The 45-page strategic plan of PISCES includes siting headquarters on the UH-Hilo campus, test facilities across the island and the centerpiece — a full-scale simulation of a lunar outpost.

The Big Island's landscape was used in the 1950s and 1960s to mimic conditions on the moon when Project Apollo astronauts used the region for some training programs.

The new simulated outpost is envisioned to have living quarters, a solar-powered agricultural area, test facilities and a visitor center.

"It will include all the things we want to do on the moon," Schowengerdt said. "We'd love for the public to be able to come see what we are doing.

"Involving the community in every aspect will be important. We want school kids, business leaders, everyone to really own it."

Schowengerdt said PISCES can offer the island a host of benefits, from higher education opportunities to attracting high technology companies.

"We think it can bring good, clean economic development and job opportunities for Big Island kids," he said.

Schowengerdt said he understands such a project might find criticism.

"By working from the ground level with local groups we can hopefully avoid any concerns. We have a cultural advisory council and we want to stay off" the Mauna Kea summit to respect the Native Hawaiian culture, he said. "We've found a lot of support."

The PISCES program and Hawaii have a natural connection, he added.

"Hawaii can relate to the whole concept of exploration and settling in new places," Schowengerdt said. "From Hawaiian navigation to space travel - the technology may be different, but the concept is similar."

Inventions refined on the Big Island could have local applications, he said.

"We can use those lessons and those same technologies to improve life on the island - growing food, solar power," he said. "A lot of good things can happen."

On the Net: Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems: http://pisces.uhh.hawaii.edu.