Jack Schmitt's Take on Space Policy and Politics

America's Deep Space Vision: Settlement of the Moon and Mars versus Asteroid Visits, Harrison Schmitt, The Heartland Institute

"America's eroding geopolitical stature, highlighted by the July 21, 2011, end to flights of the United States Space Shuttle, has reached crisis proportions. Obama Administration officials now spin the nebulous thought of Astronauts flying many months to an undetermined asteroid in 2025 as an actual "National Space Policy". On the other hand, Republican candidates for President have not yet recognized the importance of international civil space competition in the federal government's constitutional function to provide for the nation's "common defence".