Election 2004

Dean on space

By Keith Cowing

NASA Watch

November 6, 2003

6 November 2003: Online Chat with Howard Dean, Washington Post/ Concord Monitor

“Dallas, Tex.: If elected President, what are your plans for NASA and the Space Program? Do you think it’s time to retire the Shuttle and move on to bigger and better things, such as a human mission to Mars, or returning to the moon?

Howard Dean: I am a strong supporter of NASA and every government program that furthers scientific research. I don’t think we should close the shuttle program but I do believe that we should aggressively begin a program to have manned flights to Mars. This of course assumes that we can change Presidents so we can have a balanced budget again.”

Editor’s note: Oops – balanced budgets. In other words “don’t hold your breath”. Then again Wes Clark has been supportive – but vauge as well. At least Clark’s campaign has a space-related website (run mostly by Mars Society members).

Keith Cowing

Biologist, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Biologist and Payload integrator, Editor of NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com, Lapsed climber, Explorer, Synaesthete, Former Challenger Center board member 🖖🏻