Gene Cernan: President Obama "didn't literally grow up here"
Ex-astronaut Eugene Cernan steps on Obama, Politico
“I don’t think he fully understands what traditional America is all about, because he didn’t literally grow up here,” the Apollo 17 commander told Fox News’s Neil Cavuto. “I don’t think that I could convince him why this is important. I don’t know that he wants America to be first. I don’t know that he doesn’t want us to play on a more level playing field. I don’t know that he doesn’t care if Russia or China gets to the Moon and we’re dragging tailbone.” … Cernan also said he has “been offered an opportunity to be part of” the GOP convention in Tampa.”
Keith’s note: President Obama was born in Hawaii (a U.S. state, by the way) and has lived in the United States for his entire life except for 1967-71. Between 1966 and 1969 Mitt Romney lived in France. John McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone and spent much of his youth living abroad. So what? As for what the phrase “traditional America is all about” means, perhaps Cernan will enlighten us as to what he’s implying if/when he participates in the Republican national convention.
While I respect Mr. Cernan and what he and his colleagues did some 40+ years ago I think his comments reflect the Cold War mentality that pushed us into space in the first place — Beat the Soviets. Comments about China, Russia or anyone else beating us back to the moon reflects this attitude and attempts to paint space exploration as a competition/race. I understand it, it appeals to the patriot in all of us. Who doesn’t want or doesn’t take pride when the USA does something great (like the recent successes at the Olympics or the landing of Curiosity on Mars)…that’s a natural pride.
Every president starting with Nixon has treated NASA and other space activities with distaste, so to place the current lack of direction on the current president ignores this. Certainly President Obama hasn’t embraced what many of us would like him to, but I don’t believe any “political” candidate will do any different. We need leaders for this to happen, but unfortunately politics IMHO stymies leadership.
thats for calling Cernan out his veiled “he is not one of us” comments.
On Obama’s watch we have Space-X and MSL. Thats a heck of alot more than some presidents can say.
Space-X and MSL were started under previous admininstrations. It’s as if Nixon wanted to take credit for the Apollo 11 landing.
ALL President’s take credit for what happens under their watch, doesn’t matter who starts it .. for our entire history.
Nixon gets credit for ending the Apollo program wsith Apollo 18,19,and 20 ready to go. Whether an idea starts with one prez or another. This prez supported it, advocated for it in the budget and brought them to fruition even in the face of extensive delays and problems in both programs.
COTS started under GW Bush, which in turn kick-started SpaceX et al. Obama could care less about our technological leadership in any field. As to how anyone could witness the last 3 2/3 years of this regime and ask “As for what the phrase “traditional America is all about” means, perhaps Cernan will enlighten us as to what he’s implying if/when he participates in the Republican national convention” is firmly in the tank for the regime. The choice is devastatingly simple – 4 more of the Dear Leader and not only no more space program; no more United States of America. Romney just needs to be properly informed of the benefits of a robust space program and he’ll come around. Obama just doesn’t care unless it happens to be politically expedient. Smell the coffee folks.
John,
Maybe you should be a little more cautious in your faith for Romney. Look through the news stories and see how people, including Romney himself, are reacting to those public figures who are speaking out for Romney (people like Cernan and Griffin, for example). And I seem to see considerable skepticism in the general public’s comments. The general feeling, as I interpret it, is that people really have no idea what Romney will do/wants to do about many issues, including space. This possibly means that he simply has no ideas of his own. You say he needs to be properly informed. Are you really advocating putting a yes man into the White House? Who do you foresee pulling his strings?
Steve
Didnt we have a VP run the country a few years back? How did that turn out?
LOLOLOL
I thought SpaceX got “kick started” in 2002 when Elon Musk invested 100 million dollars of his own money to privately fund the Falcon 1?
He did, but he needed an anchor customer with money to make the leap. There are the corpses of the many other space entrepeneurs who came before laying in the weeds who also invested a lot of their own and investor money that were either killed off by the “old guard” and/or lack of an anchor tenant with money. Musks timing, daring, business prowess, and political savvy were/are impecable. I admire the guy for what he’s been able to accomplish – both politically and technically. Lets just hope his anchor tenant (ISS) doesn’t go away before he’s done.
I forgot to mention that Obama – living in Hawaii SAW the Apollo capsules come back – so to say he doesn’t know or understand the history is factually wrong.
And all those conservatives squaking about Space-X – remember what NACA was about:
1) gov does research in wind tunnels on aerodynamics,
2) passes data to private companies to build the planes and
3) commercial aircraft industry is born. Don’t we want this for access to space???? I don’t get why folks are against the COTS model. The other advantage companies have over gov is that they can filter the valuable tech ideas from the not so valuable bureaucracy.
Gov needs to work really hard problems like spinning spacecraft for artificial gravity so human bodies don’t turn to Jellyfish by the time they reach their destination. Gov needs to work hard problems like antimatter rockets.
I will respect and admire the Apollo (and Mercury and Gemini) astronauts for ever for their NASA missions, but outside of that they are just another bunch of old men still living in the past. I don’t consider their political views to be any more meaningful or accurate than those of anybody else. Why does the media persist in dragging them into politics, where they simply don’t belong? I figure it’s just for more controversy, which apparently continues to draw readership. Very disappointing.
Steve
Mr. Steve,
There are those that like to use authority (Apollo Lunar) to empower political opinion.
This is inherently destructive to reputation and legend.
Neil Armstrong made a wise decision after Apollo to shun much of a public life to avoid having it tarnish. He and Cernan should stick with that decision, because it was wise.
They know what they are doing. But at the moment they don’t get the harm being done.
As a life-long space geek and a space worker totally dependent on my space-salary, I view this upcoming election with a lot of trepidation. I’m not really sure of which way to go as far as presidential candidates.
Obama and his Administration, which includes the upper echelons of the NASA hierarchy, have provided absolutely no leadership, which is why we find ourselves in the predicament of having no capability to launch humans, little planning for future planetary missions, no real goal or vision.
The Obama ‘vision’-where is it? Hope and change? For what, alternative jobs or welfare for space workers?
Obama and his people have created real damage that we may never recover from. It wasn’t really surprising since before he was elected he said he was going to call a halt to a lot of what we were doing, and he went ahead with that and never replaced what we had been doing with anything.
However Romney and the Republicans do not seem to offer anything more or better. They are simply not Obama.
So which way to turn?
Under Obama, NASA is revamping KSC, from the VAB, to the launching pad, to the crawlers. Work continues on Morpheus (so far) with its new methane engine. The J-2X contract continues. The Orion contract continues. Boeing and XCOR are setting up assembly plants at KSC. The much maligned SLS is still alive (but may get cancelled by Congress if budget cuts are intiated next year). And three companies are receiving grants to commercialize access to LEO. There are many other programs that are on NASA’s plate. Some of them make get cut due to budget concerns but Congress may be more at fault than Obama for that. If you want to criticize Obama for a lack of leadership then I would say OK but what manned space BEO goals would YOU set knowing the shakiness of the budget process for next year? Mind you that the US military may take a $150 billion dollar hit in the budget next year?
Nothing like goofy statements like yours to give one perspective. We find ourselves in this “predicament” because NASA couldn’t get one single orbital test launch with a 12 billion dollars spent.
President Obama has did more for the United States space development, by breaking the NASA monopoly on the Astronauts are heros pork machine, then any past President since President Reagan with his changing NASA’s mandate and to now seek out and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, the commercial use of space.
“Obama and his Administration, which includes the upper echelons of the NASA hierarchy, have provided absolutely no leadership…”
Please name a president since Kennedy who has provided that visionary leadership.
Perhaps Reagan and the space station, but Reagan saw the space station as another arrow in his quiver for defeating the Soviet Union. Reagan had no interest in NASA and space station until he was shown a picture of the Soviets’ Mir space station orbiting Earth, and realized that the U.S. was falling behind his arch-enemy.
All other presidents have had little interest in NASA because (as others have posted) the American people have had little interest in NASA.
Hilariously provincial…or sad. Not sure which. Sad you can go to the Moon and still lack perspective.
“Sad you can go to the Moon and still lack perspective.” – I like that.
Yeah – I’m going to borrow that and repost to FB
that was a pretty damn brilliant comment.
Reminds me of another astronaut whose time on the Moon didn’t appear to be as wasted as Mr. Cernan’s:
You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an
intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to
do something about it. From out there on the moon, international
politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of
the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, “Look at
that, you son of a bitch.” – Edgar Mitchell
It appears Cernan is echoing themes outlined in Dinesh D’Souza’s bestselling book “The Roots of Obama’s Rage.” Syndicated columnist Thomas Sowell provides an overview in piece published today: http://www.nationalreview.c…
Not all of Gene’s personal comments are appropriate but we shouldn’t shrink from returning to our days of leadership and dominance in space. It is in our economic and security interest to do so, we will regret it if we don’t, and we shouldn’t apologize about it. Space is for the US and we should stay on that topic without distracting subplots.
… we shouldn’t shrink from returning to our days of leadership and dominance in space.
Captain Cernan has damaged that cause, possibly irrevocably.
Look at the comments here. Many view this as a passion, apart from duty, honor, or possibly country (meaning some they don’t like, aren’t really of the “country”). That’s not what America’s founding fathers had in mind. So, by definition, this peculiar passion, expressed by Captain Cernan, appears to be “anti American”.
That is specifically how it has damaged that cause.
Space is for the US and we should stay on that topic without distracting subplots.
Completely agree. Too late.
… It is in our economic and security interest to do so, we will regret it if we don’t,
That’s the point – many don’t regret their actions. They are actually proud of them. This is perverse.
As to”economic and security interest”, Russia and China see that the US is moving to compete with them in a means that they cannot. But because those with this passion, cannot see past personal political interests, they cannot see America’s advantage, but instead chose a grab for self power at the cost of America, to later reestablish a means to compete that China and Russia well understand – because it is their primary mode to compete as well.
With passion, there is no dialogue, just assertion of will.
More than a billion people watched the Apollo 11 landing on TV. There were not a billion people in America then (nor are there now). Where were all these other TV viewers located?
Cernan was bitter with Nixon and is bitter with Obama for good reason. But the fact that some Presidents, including Obama, have little interest in
manned spaceflight has nothing to do with where they lived when
they were young. A lot of Americans are not interested in manned space travel.
Cernan needs to be arguing what NASA’s manned spaceflight agenda should be, not the President’s childhood!
Marcel F. Williams
Its that he’s calling a lie a fact. Disregarding his duty that preceded his fame.
To some of us who take duty we took an oath to seriously, this is not idle words. How do we know if that abandonment … extends further. To the point it matters in serious circumstance.
That is why the commitment is comprehensive and binding.
“Traditional America” to me is that two citizens can disagree on the direction of the space program but still consider each other equally American.
As a pilot to another pilot – I will never fly with a bad (or crazy) pilot.
I would never fly with Cernan the nutbag.
If he wants to be a nutbag rather than Apollo moonwalker, that’s his choice.
But pilots deal with reality that often bites. Crazy in any form kills.
add:
I’ve been on flight line at 5am with Apollo astros. Those were deadly serious about who they flew with. Two of them had radically opposed political viewpoints. Another elsewhere believed in the paranormal.
None of that ever came up on flight line. Because it would have been unforgivable to them.
Arguing Obama isn’t an American is a bankrupted expression like arguing about immigrants from Puerto Rico. What should be arguement is how to rebuild our declining technology base. I feel this country has become like Soviet Russia with all the infighting among those on top while us commoners get less and less except more cheap stuff from China. </rant>
Mr. Cernan
Read this!
http://venturebeat.com/2012…
Don’t we need to listion to people that look to the future and those that are wise about the past?
I don’t trust Cernan to tell me how people felt about Apollo 17 since he was on the Moon….. he wasn’t even on the same planet (let alone the same country) at the time, so he clearly doesn’t know how “traditional America” felt about his mission.
I’m with the others – I respect Cernan for his astronautical achievements, but why he gets a platform to rant about this crap is beyond me.
Perhaps he meant continental US, but he wasn’t clear on that. I suspect that for a while, Hawaii was fairly isolated from the mainland. Maybe someone that grew up in Hawaii and now live in the mainland could comment.
Hawaii lost its isolation when (1) jets reduced the flight time to the West Coast to less than 5 hours and (2) we got satellite relays for live TV news and other programming rather than having to wait for the tapes to be flown in. I was working as a scientist in one of he most hi-trech environments in astronomy during the Apollo years. Obama was in Indonesia with his mother when Apollo 11 landed, but he returned to Hawaii half way through the Apollo lunar lunar flights. If he was not watching at Punahou School (across from were I lived) it was because the US TV networks had stopped live coverage of lunar landings by then.
David Morrison
Broadcast TV didn’t really start using geostationary satellites regularly until the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
Cernan criticizes Obama on Americanism yet the guy he supports has outsourced more jobs and more dollars into offshore accounts than any presidential candidate in history.
The Commercial Crew program is the best thing out of NASA in years and it was on Obama’s watch. These commercial companies are American, or did Gene Cernan completely overlook this?
As someone posted: Sad you can go to the Moon and still lack perspective.
This is my perspective:
se·nile/ˈsēˌnīl/
Adjective:(of a person) Having or showing the weaknesses or diseases of old age, esp. a loss of mental faculties.
“yet the guy he supports has outsourced more jobs and more dollars into
offshore accounts than any presidential candidate in history.”
Sad you can subscribe to a web site like this and still be so backward. Check your facts and sources before you throw up all over yourself.
cernan is easily the least likeable of all the apollo astronauts. he didn’t do his homework on ccp, now he espouses xenophobic and irrational views about president obama. he is a good example of what’s wrong with the right wing mindset in the us.
“
cernan is easily the least likeable of all the apollo astronauts.“
I’m afraid I have to agree. Even his partner on the Moon couldn’t get along with him while they doing Apollo 17, or since. But Cernan was the last man to walk on the Moon (so far), and that, I think, we should always respect, same as Armstrong being the first.
Steve
“But Cernan was the last man to walk on the Moon”
And he’ll be damned if he doesn’t keep it that way.
Paul,
I hadn’t thought of that. You may well be right. It’s a sad thought. I guess it must be rough for an old man to have once been a national hero and now feel like little more than a Wikipedia entry. Maybe he’s going through a second childhood and just looking for attention. Or perhaps he’s just bitter. I guess now I feel a little less disappointment and a little more sorry for him.
Steve
Many people just don’t get space exploration. They ask what the benefits are. It’s a fair question, but irrelevant for many, including many who visit this site.
I watched the Apollo landings in the UK like millions of others – woken up by my parents and huddled round the black and white TV. It affected everyone’s perception of what humanity could do. Everyone who gets it, that is.
Obama’s origins and country of residence at the time have absolutely nothing to it.
You watched the Apollo landings “like millions of others”? Do you have any idea how lucky you are? I was born in ’73, and men have not walked on the Moon in my lifetime. How I envy you guys who witnessed it.
“President Obama was born in Hawaii…”
Sorry guys, I just don’t believe it.
You can’t even use your real name. Why should we believe you?
And he spelled Oblivious wrong.
you funny!
What is so freakin’ hilarous about this is … in 3 years .. not ONE person from the FBI, CIA, NSA has came forward with “the goods”.
Like the nutballs that think the soviet union would have not blown the whistle if the U.S. didn’t land on the moon.
SOMEONE would talk … Like why did two Hawaiian newspapers print birth announcements for President Obama .. if he wasn’t born there? This is loony talk.
His accomplishments only serve to make his comments more out of place and uncalled for.
His accomplishments only serve to make his comments more out of place and uncalled for.
I stand by Gene on his comments. Obama just doesn’t get it.
I lost respect for Cernan with his ill-advised, highly partisan comments that were demeaning to himself if he wishes to be taken seriously on space policy matters. The problem with the funding of NASA and the manned space program ultimately falls on the American people. Ever since Apollo 11 made the successful landing on the moon and returned safely to the earth the American people lost interest in making the space program a budget priority. Too many people viewed the Space Race as a literal race and felt we had “won” and they turned their focus elsewhere. So it is no surprise that our politicians also lost interest in voting for the funding of NASA with the exception of those who represent districts where NASA facilities or major contractors are located. Reagan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. all made some great, expensive proposals for NASA missions but they never used their political capital to persuade Congress or the American people to fund those programs. President Obama came into office faced with an economy crippled by the policies of the previous administration. He had to prioritize his efforts to work with Congress to bring us out of the Great Recession but was actively sabotaged by the GOP regarding his proposed legislation. It should be no surprise that he can’t give a JFK type speech proposing major new spending for NASA to return Americans to the moon, go to Mars or other BEO mission. Romney has made it clear he is not interested in the space program. If he is elected the budget will be slashed further thanks to the new tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations he has promised to implement. Corporate welfare will continue to flourish, especially for defense contractors, but the rest of the federal budget will be gutted. This does not bode well for the future of NASA and our exploration of the final frontier. Until the economy recovers and the tax code no longer favors the wealthy at the expense of the rest of us NASA and the space program will struggle with reduced budgets.
I lost respect for Cernan with his ill-advised, highly partisan comments
that were demeaning to himself if he wishes to be taken seriously on
space policy matters.
The astros have to be pro-space. All space. They have to serve the duty to the truth as established solely by fact. They can have opinions, but the opinions not be seen as if they were truth.
In that way they retain their authority to the public of all kind.
The problem with the funding of NASA and the manned space program
ultimately falls on the American people. Ever since Apollo 11 made the
successful landing on the moon and returned safely to the earth the
American people lost interest in making the space program a budget
priority. Too many people viewed the Space Race as a literal race and
felt we had “won” and they turned their focus elsewhere.
Perfectly stated. Most space advocates never get this.
That narrow views of space completely lose the public, and for one reason or another, “turn them off”.
Cernan and others don’t seem to realize, that in 0-4 years Obama will be gone, and they’ll have another “bad guy” to vilify. But Cernan’s Obama diatribe will persist indefinitely, overriding Cernan’s authority as an Apollo astronaut, diluting it as well as the Apollo significance.
Until the economy recovers and the tax code no longer favors the wealthy
at the expense of the rest of us NASA and the space program will
struggle with reduced budgets.
Its worse than that. The vile passions exposed here will have to die out, and a space program justified economically by results will have to work doubletime to convince a skeptical America that it isn’t being flimflammed into another expensive, meaningless “space race” pseudo conflict between nations.
what blind hero worhip.
Someone who calls Captain Cernan on his duty to the chain of command, and his oath as a military officer.
One who doesn’t tell lies about the Commander in Chief of the United States of America. Regardless of disagreement.
One has the right to an opinion, not the right to assert facts that aren’t true or misleading. That’s vile when you’ve taken an oath to the contrary.
I wouldn’t want such watching my 6. I think Pat Tillman probably would agree if he were here to do so.
Or do you think his fame allows him to act irresponsibly and irrespective of duty.
I was raised to believe that those who had greater authority were supposed to act with greater care and responsibility. Which is reaffirmed in officer training as well.
But then, if you have divine “right”, what does all that matter, hmm?
I had the privilege of tagging along with Gene Cernan for a memorable morning at Kennedy Space Center the day Apollo II launched from KSC. He was the official NASA escort for Senator Barry Goldwater (and Barry Goldwater Jr.) Nobody knew or could have imagined that Gene Cernan was to be the last man to walk on the moon. He was cordial and likeable. Barry was charming and wanted to be as close to the launch as possible to take photos. The 4 of us walked fromH the VIP viewing area to the perimeter fence. How the earth trembled as the Saturn V’s engines ignited.
I share questions too about why there is no powerfully inspiring vision of the future coming from President Obama and why all his records were sealed and kept secret. Yet he makes an issue of tax returns of his opponent. And what about the President’s
no president has ever released his college records. however, all recent presidential candidates have released their tax returns. romney has not.
like i said, this has nothing to do with rational discourse, it’s irrational and paranoid fearmongering.
The subject is how to define U.S. space policy for the 21st century. When Gene Cernan has done anything of value for space flight in the 21st century, I’ll take his views more seriously.
No one doesn’t honor Cernan’s accomplishments, but those accomplishments are part of history, and not part of contemporary space flight sensibility. In fact, his accomplishments have little to do with the understanding of technical, political, and fiscal issues that sensibility now requires.
One word … Constellation. There ya go.
Question: Can you travel to the moon and still be a flat-earther?
By that logic, when Mr. Cernan is elected and serves as President of the United States, only then will his political views be taken seriously.
President Obama announced we were going after the solar market and other alternatives. The U.S. made a MASSIVE 2.9 billion dollar investment.
In the mean time China, seeing that President Obama was serious about solar .. with an economy 1/3 the size .. said they want that market too. So they invested a whopping 41 billion in direct subsidies, plan and equipment and delevopment.
Gosh .. the U.S. lost? American companies went bankrupt? Wow .. am I ever surprised… I mean really … who would have thunk…..
Gene Cernan not only has a right to express his concerns, he has a responsibility to do so. It took the “right stuff” for Gene Cernan to get to walk on the moon. And it requires the “right stuff” today to bring attention to the disputed leadership vision of our current president. Liberty: either you use it or lose it.
If you have a criticism of someone it doesn’t help your credibility to make unrelated ridiculous accusations about them.
has nothing to do with “liberty” and everything to do with knowing when to stop making a fool of yourself. also, this “right stuff” mantra is getting really old. there are tens of thousands of people on this planet who are every bit as qualified and experienced as cernan.
What Cernan has done? What about the FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND people and billions contributed by the taxpayers?
What he did was miniscule to what the NATION did that ALLOWED him to make his trip to the moon.
He is the one who should be THANKING the Nation for spending billions for his three day jaunt on Luna.
He was a lottery winner. There would have been a line from New York to California of volunteers willing to make that same flight.
Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr. ….. ALL of those President’s actually had a room with a cot in it so they could live at Cape Canaveral .
Hell EVERY President EXCEPT President Obama has lived and breathed NASA NASA NASA … Hell every President except President Obama can recite the launch date and astronauts for EVERY U.S. manned launched .. big dramatic sigh ..
Only President Obama is the President who is not really interested in space.
It saddens me to see how much Gene Cernan and others of his era have lost touch with reality. When he spews these foolish polemics, he does real damage to the legacy of extraordinary achievements by the legions of Americans who worked on Apollo.
Please, Mr. Cernan. Cease these attacks. They do your name and this country a great disservice.
I would note that Obama’s time abroad was in the 3rd world during his formative years, which can greatly affect ones world view. He even discusses this in one of his books.
OTOH, both McCain and Romney spent their overseas time in very westernized cultures; Romney in France and outside of his formative years spent entirely in the US in and around Detroit, and McCain in the then US controlled and very Americanized Canal Zone.
Cernan has always been one of my heroes, but I’m disappointed he doesn’t seem to know what the hell he’s talking about here, it seems he’s bought into the “Obama’s not a U.S. citizen” meme, which is absurd and untrue, unless he doesn’t consider Hawaii to be the United States? What’s he talking about? Beats the hell out of me.
Just goes to show, even heroes have their shortcomings, nobody’s perfect. Maybe he listens to Fox News too much.
By the way, Obama DOES want America to be first, he just has a more practical approach to America’s moving forward in space, which I understand Buzz Aldrin “gets” and agrees with, furthermore there’s some serious problems with our economy right now, which weren’t created by Obama, and until that’s straightened out it’s better to plan a more cost-efficient, albeit longer-range, plan for our manned space program rather than spending a huge amount right now unnecessarily when the nation is still on economic thin-ice created by Obama’s predecessors, the party Cernan apparently supports. This ain’t the ’60s.
The longer-range plan Obama supports points directly to manned missions to Mars. The period we’re in right now is just treading water. It’s not like Obama’s given up or retired our manned space program, this is just temporary, as all great endeavors are at times. It’s called being responsible.