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Election 2004
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Things change

23 November 2004: Congress Approves President’s Request for NASA Budget, Planetary SocietyLori Garver: “The approval of the budget was aided by strong support from The White House, which requested full funding for the new human spaceflight exploration policy.”14 October 2004: WIA Space Policy DebateLori Garver: “You say you haven’t heard anything from the Kerry-Edwards folks during the campaign – I haven’t heard word one from the Bush-Cheny folks about the […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 27, 2004
Post Election Reflections

15 November 2004: The making of a space policy, The Space Review (Jeff Foust/Futron)‘One thing that surprised [Kerry Space Advisor Lori] Garver was the strong negative reaction directly at her. “This was a very challenging thing to do, personally. I was attacked and slammed within my own community,” she said. “It is difficult to operate in that kind of environment, since I was very concerned that this would come out […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 15, 2004
Now That The Election Is Over

7 November 2004: Bush re-election likely to boost NASA, Huntsville Times“The space policy was introduced not even a year ago and support was lagging from the start. Nobody (in Congress) really embraced it at first,” [NASA Watch editor Keith] Cowing said. Now dates will be put with goals, he added. U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, predicted it still will not be an easy ride for Bush’s plan because members of […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 8, 2004
OK, So Now What?

3 November 2004: Victory will jump-start space plans, Florida Today“President Bush’s re-election will jump-start his plan to send astronauts back to the moon, transforming a new vision for space exploration into serious marching orders, analysts said Wednesday. What’s more, NASA will have until 2008 to get the new presidential initiative entrenched enough to make it difficult to undo.”

  • NASA Watch
  • November 4, 2004
Space: Changes in Congress

Editor’s note: Ironically, the back side of the quarter honoring Ohio, the state upon which the outcome of this election rested, features both the Wright Flyer and an astronaut on the lunar surface (Neil Armstrong).So far the space landscape in Congress has only changed a little. Of all the key players, only Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX) has lost a reelection bid. One change in the House Science Committee should be […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 4, 2004
Space and the Election: A Sampler

Editor’s note: There are several somewhat odd articles on The Space Review run by Jeff Foust at Futron. One article “Both ends of the spectrum” by Sam Dinkin concludes with the author stating that he does not plan to vote (and thus becoming part of the problem). The other article “November’s moral dilemma” by Greg Zsidisin mentions George Bush and Adolph Hitler in the same sentence (it goes downhill from […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 1, 2004
Last Minute Arm Waving and Whining

Editor’s note: This week’s issue of Space News (as well as last week’s) has a lot of good material relevant to space policy and the election. One item of interest is a letter titled “Partisanship Dangerous for the Space Program” written by Planetary Society Executive Director Louis Friedman. The letter ends with one of the silliest leaps of logic I have seen in years: “But if Internet bloggers persist in […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 1, 2004
The Day John Kerry Tried to Gut NASA – All By Himself

29 September 1995: Text of S.1290, Responsible Deficit Reduction Act of 1995Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. [MA] (introduced 9/29/1995)Cosponsors (None) Latest Major Action: 9/29/1995 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on BudgetExcerpt:(16) Terminate the National Aerospace Plane Program.(1) Terminate NASA’s support for producers of commercial airlines.(4) Terminate the International Space Station Program. 25 October 2004: John Kerry and John Edwards on Space and Aeronautics […]

  • NASA Watch
  • November 1, 2004
To Explore or Not Explore: Waiting for the Polls to Close

31 October 2004: Bush’s bold space policy, Op ed, Washington Times“The contrasts are stark. A Kerry administration would delay – if not doom – America’s reach into space.”30 October 2004: NASA’s robotic moon mission spins wheels, Florida Today“Outside analysts say NASA is hesitant to draft detailed plans for follow-on flights — missions key to President Bush’s plan to return astronauts to the moon — until the election is over.”

  • NASA Watch
  • October 31, 2004
More Flip Flops from Lori Garver

29 October 2004: Bush, Kerry differ on space, Florida Today“Also, Sietzen alleges a Kerry administration would fly “far fewer” shuttle missions than the 28 to 30 NASA says are needed to complete the space station. Garver said Bush backers are stretching something she said in a Washington debate with Sietzen far out of context. Noone knows how many times the shuttle must fly to finish the station or do other […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 29, 2004
Last Minute Space Policy Plea

29 October 2004: Glenn’s take on Kerry was way off the mark, Florida Today, Op ed by Reps. Dave Weldon and Tom Feeney“Exactly where Glenn gets his facts we do not know. The Kerry-Edwards space policy makes no mention of the shuttle or station, dismisses the notion of a return to the moon and makes no commitment to a Mars expedition.”27 October 2004: Kerry’s vision for space, Op ed by […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 29, 2004
Bart Gordon Weighs In

28 October 2004: Being Good Stewards of the Nation’s Space Program – excerpt from Science and Technology: The Untapped American Resource – Prepared for Rep. Bart Gordon“An agency that was once managed by some of the most distinguished engineers and scientists in the nation is now becoming a parking place for inexperienced retired admirals and generals because of the hiring decisions of the Administrator.”

  • NASA Watch
  • October 28, 2004
Thank You Brian Berger

Editor’s note: Brian Berger from Space News has been busy on the telephone today. He has been calling around Washington DC asking if I have a business relationship with USA or any other aerospace company – or if I am on the Bush campaign payroll (secretly) What an idiotic notion, Brian. As if I would 1. do something like that and then 2. not tell people. The net result, after […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 26, 2004
Kerry Campaign Issues Space Policy Statement

John Kerry and John Edwards on Space and Aeronautics for the 21st Century“Americans are justifiably proud of this nation’s past aeronautics and space accomplishments. John Kerry and John Edwards believe that maintaining and increasing America’s leadership in aerospace is more important now than ever.NASA research has led to breakthroughs in a number of fields, far beyond space flight, aeronautics, or the other NASA missions. “ Editor’s note: Lori Garver and […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 26, 2004
Backdoor Insight into Kerry Space Policy?

24 October 2004: Draft Paper Provides Insight Into NASA Space Policy Options, NASA Watch“A draft space policy paper circulating around Washington, D.C. provides some insight into what some space watchers – and NASA employees – think NASA should be doing in space – especially when it comes to the risks inherent in NASA’s current human space flight systems. Given that a prominent space advisor to the Kerry campaign (John Logsdon) […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 24, 2004
Where's Lori?

Editor’s note: Over the past week or so several items have appeared on NASA Watch detailing Lori Garver’s activities on behalf of John Kerry’s presidential campaign. Despite the fact that Lori is annoyed with what has appeared here (according to multiple sources) she has yet to ask to address these points on NASA Watch. This could be because she 1. finds me and NASA Watch annoying (understandable – many people […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 24, 2004
Space Policy Debate in Washington

Debating Space: A Tale of Two Policies – One Real, One TBD, Keith Cowing“A day after the last of the Presidential campaign debates, a hundred or so space professionals gathered this morning in Washington, DC to hear a debate between representatives of the Bush and Kerry campaigns on space policy. One campaign talked about what it was doing in space – the other talked about what it might do.”18 October […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 22, 2004
Kerry Campaign Space Advisor's Flip Flops

Editor’s note: At last week’s debate between Lori Garver and Frank Sietzen, Garver was heard to suggest to a number of aerospace contractor representatives that they block access to NASA Watch from their employees. When pressed as to why she’d make such a request, she eventually admitted that it was because there were some things about her on NASA Watch that she did not like. It would certainly seem that […]

  • NASA Watch
  • October 22, 2004
What does the public think?

20 October 2004: Dittmar Associates’ Market Study for the Space Exploration Program“On the eve of the Presidential election, Americans continue to support human space flight and endorse the Space Exploration plan to return to the Moon and to Mars, but they also question the relationship of NASA to its constituents.79% of respondents believe that NASA is “marketed” poorly or very poorly.”

  • NASA Watch
  • October 21, 2004