Primary space politics

cIclops · 2008-01-26 14:13:21

Increase NASA funding to return to the moon
RUDY GIULIANI
GUEST COLUMNIST
America's space program is at a crossroads. We can either remain the world's undisputed leader, or we can fall behind.
We are facing a five-year gap between the end of the space shuttle program and the beginning of the Constellation program, the next generation of human spaceflight. This almost guarantees a costly talent-drain, as engineers and scientists leave the industry, and it means for five years we will have to rely on the Russians to transport us to space.
That's unacceptable.
Some people will say we can't do it. But I'm tired of hearing about what America can't do.
Allegedly we can't control the border, can't rely on market-based healthcare, can't allow school choice, can't control government spending, and can't cut taxes. Now people say we can't continue to lead in space exploration. To all these things, I say we can -- and we will.
People who say "America can't," don't belong in the White House. I proved the critics wrong in New York, and now I'm ready to prove them wrong in Washington.
We will maintain America's technological advantage in space. We will send Americans back to the moon and onto the next great frontier in human space exploration: Mars.
We will support the Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems Program to stimulate important private entrepreneurial efforts in spaceflight.
We will expand private-sector access to Cape Canaveral launch pads. To help prepare astronauts for longer stays in space, we will fund the Space Life Sciences Lab.
NASA currently receives less than 1 percent of the federal budget -- six-tenths of 1 percent, to be more exact. An increase would do wonders without affecting 99 percent of the federal budget. That's the fiscally conservative approach: getting a good return on your dollar.
It is also important to understand that our commitment to space is not just about exploring the planets, but also advancing national security. Our national security space program is the backbone of our 21st century military capabilities:
Military communications, intelligence, unmanned aircraft, and ballistic missile defense, to give a few examples, are all highly dependent on our space capabilities.
Putting a man on the moon inspired me and my generation of Americans. It represented the American Dream -- it taught us that even the sky was not the limit to American technology, ingenuity, and hard work.
When China announced its intention to go to the moon, it reminded me of President Kennedy's words: "The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in the race for space."
We must remain the world's leader in space exploration. And the necessary leadership must come from the White House. From day one, a Giuliani administration will strengthen America's leadership in space.

Has anyone made a stronger statement yet?

Terraformer · 2008-01-26 15:08:19

Don't think so.

I think the best thing would be for someone to order NASA to restart the HL-20 program. There's something for Dubya to do while still in office . All the development's there, they just need to build it. Although I think they're waiting for SpaceDev to do it for them.

Commodore · 2008-01-26 18:27:06

Rudy is desperate for Florida.

We'd have better luck trying to get more funding tied to the Economic Stimulus Package.

cIclops · 2008-01-27 15:28:34

That package is direct tax refunds to tax payers, not for government agencies.

cIclops · 2008-01-28 05:21:12

John McCain - America's Space Program

John McCain have been a strong supporter of NASA and the space program. He is proud to have sponsored legislation authorizing funding consistent with the President's vision for the space program, which includes a return of astronauts to the Moon in preparation for a manned mission to Mars. He believes support for a continued US presence in space is of major importance to America's future innovation and security. He has also been a staunch advocate for ensuring that NASA funding is accompanied by proper management and oversight to ensure that the taxpayers receive the maximum return on their investment. John McCain believes curiosity and a drive to explore have always been quintessential American traits. This has been most evident in the space program, for which he will continue his strong support.

cIclops · 2008-01-29 05:01:51

Rudy's ready to head for Mars - 29 Jan 2008

By JOSE PAGLIERY
jpagliery@MiamiHerald.com
In a late-evening speech before a crowd of about 250 at Florida International University's University Park campus Monday, presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani said U.S. space exploration would advance in a Giuliani administration.
The United States would ''be the first [country to land] on Mars,'' Giuliani told the gathering of students, faculty, media and Miami-Dade County officials.
The candidate also mentioned hope of seeing ``a Cuba without Castro, where power is not transferred from brother to brother but comes from the people.''
Both comments drew mixed reactions from the crowd.
Giuliani addressed the failing economy, saying it needed a ''jump start,'' the power of tax cuts and the changes he brought in New York, which he promised to bring to the country as a whole.
Miami-Dade County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez, Texas Governor Rick Perry and actor John Voigt were on hand to provide support for Giuliani.

Giuliani is still trying ...

cIclops · 2008-01-31 04:44:39

Rudy has quit.

Has Romney said anything about Space?

Terraformer · 2008-02-02 05:21:19

Dunno.

So, it eems a lot of the Republican Candidates are supporting the Space Program. This is excellent, seeing as they are most likely to get in.

cIclops · 2008-02-05 06:08:52

Yes and Clinton too, the odd one out is Obmara who wants to slow down exploration and transfer the funding to education.

Mars_B4_Moon · 2008-02-06 09:37:05

Has anyone made a stronger statement yet?

Yes, but it was very negative scolding

McCain on NASA back in 99
http://www.aznews.us/fxxx_you_mccain's_unstable_temper_raises_more_doubt.htm

One bureaucrat who felt McCain’s wrath was former NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin, who was summoned by McCain in 1999, not long after a $125-million probe crashed on Mars because of confusion over the use of English and metric units. McCain’s Senate Commerce Committee had oversight over NASA.
“McCain went ballistic the moment Goldin walked into McCain’s office,” said a participant in the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity because he still worked in the government arena. “He was shouting and using profanity, saying he was sick of NASA’s screw-ups. It went on for a few minutes, and then he kicked Goldin out of the office.”
Goldin started walking down the hallway but was called back to the senator’s office by a McCain aide. “When he came back in, McCain started yelling at Goldin all over again. And then McCain kicked Goldin out a second time before he ever said a word,” the source said.

cIclops · 2008-02-06 10:30:17

Has anyone made a stronger statement yet?
Yes, but it was very negative scolding

If that's true, it's quite a story. The "strong statement" of support was made by Guilliani, but he's dropped out of the race.

The statement on McCain's website supports human missions to Mars. Have any of the other presidential candidates been that explicit?

cIclops · 2008-02-07 09:49:15

Found this on Romney's position:

No promises from Romney - 22 Jan 2008

BY PATRICK PETERSON
FLORIDA TODAY
CAPE CANAVERAL — Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney peeked into shuttle Atlantis on Monday and didn’t whiff the smell of new hardware in the aging spacecraft.
But the Republican candidate, now the Florida frontrunner, wasn’t prepared to pledge another billion or two, if elected, to freshen NASA’s prospects of maintaining a human space program past 2010, when the last shuttle flight is scheduled.
A gap of at least five years is expected before the U.S. will develop and fly another spacecraft with human passengers. Thousands of jobs could be lost in Brevard County.
"I’m prepared to study it thoroughly," said the cautious candidate, who made stops at Jacksonville, Daytona, Orlando and Cape Canaveral on Monday.
Romney reprised rival Rudy Giuliani’s Friday visit with about 50 space industry members in a roundtable sponsored by the Economic Development Commission of Florida’ Space Coast.
"To close the gap, it’s going to take money,” said Adrian Laffitte, Florida director of government relations for Lockheed Martin.
Romney listened closely, but avoided promises."I do not have a budget for you on the gap," he said. “I’m not making promises, because I shouldn’t make promises until I’ve studied something."
Lynda Weatherman, who leads the EDC, was not disheartened that first Giuliani and now Romney had made no pledges of budget increases to help NASA bridge the gap.
Weatherman said exposing the candidates to space industry issues was only a first step.“The money issue will come later,” she said.
Romney said the U.S. faces challenges from violent Jihadists and from Asian economies, which educate many more engineers than the U.S.

samy · 2008-02-07 16:52:11

Well, Romney's a non-issue now anyway.

The best candidate for space at the moment is Hillary.

cIclops · 2008-02-11 11:53:01

McCain has made stronger statements than Clinton about supporting NASA and manned missions to Mars. What they'll deliver is anyone's guess.

cIclops · 2008-02-17 03:10:02

Clinton, Obama address Houston hot topics - 15 Feb 2008

Obama agreed that NASA, which employs thousands of Houston-area voters who work at or with the Johnson Space Center, should be a tool for inspiring the nation.
But, he said, the next president needs to have "a practical sense of what investments deliver the most scientific and technological spinoffs — and not just assume that human space exploration, actually sending bodies into space, is always the best investment."

"I intend to pursue an ambitious agenda in both space exploration and earth sciences," Clinton said. "I want to support the next generation of spacecraft for a robust human spaceflight program."

Commodore · 2008-02-17 20:10:42

Ah, classic double talk.

But he probably said it in a charismatic manner, and thus got a standing O.

samy · 2008-02-18 11:16:15

And that's why I'm in Clinton's corner for this fight.

Terraformer · 2008-02-18 11:27:29

I won't say anything in reply to that over than this.

Commodore · 2008-02-18 22:24:52

And that's why I'm in Clinton's corner for this fight.

Clintons not significantly better.

If a democrat win the White House, manned space flight will be butchered for sacrifice to the global warming lobby.

cIclops · 2008-02-20 06:13:23

So it's basically down to three candidates now, and Obama has the weakest position on Space. Once each party has selected their nominee, they must be pushed hard for clearer positions, especially about human missions to Mars.

cIclops · 2008-02-25 03:23:56

Clinton campaigns in Houston - 23 Feb 2008

She also hit on a local note, pledging to keep funding NASA.
"I believe we need to keep funding our next generation of spacecraft," she said.

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2008-02-27 11:26:38

Nader has returned; the question is why?
http://www.silive.com/columnists/lacy/i … xml&coll=1

Just like Ross Perot cost George H. Bush a second term will Nader cost the Dems ?

cIclops · 2008-02-28 07:04:52

(moved from Free Chat - Earth Political Outreach seems to be the best place for this)

cIclops · 2008-03-01 14:08:00

Obama wants to make NASA spending “a little more coherent”

(This a rough transcript)
Obama: Well, I’ve got a strong belief in NASA and the process of space exploration. I do think that our program has been stuck for a while, that the space shuttle mission did not inspire the imaginations of the public, that much of the experimentation that was done could have been conducted not necessarily with manned flights. I think that broadening our horizons and looking at a combination of both unmanned satellites of the sort that we saw with the Jupiter launch, but also looking at where we can start planning for potential manned flights. I think that is all something that I’m excited about and could be part of a broader strategy for science and technology investment–

So it's all clear now ha ha. This guy makes George Bush sound like a genius.

Terraformer · 2008-03-01 15:24:45

My italics.

satellites of the sort that we saw with the Jupiter launch

Right....

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#1 2008-01-26 14:13:21

Re: Primary space politics

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