Romney’s silence on NASA’s future worries space fans, Orlando Sentinel “Congressional and industry sources said Romney’s vagueness also could be attributed to divisions within his own team. His advisers include former NASA chief Mike Griffin, who championed Constellation and the big-government approach of exploring space. But other Romney aides are said to support, at least philosophically, Obama’s push to rely more on the private sector to send astronauts into orbit, […]

America’s Future in Space: Continuing this Quest, Republican Platform (page 28) “The exploration of space has been a key part of U.S. global leadership and has supported innovation and ownership of technology. Over the last half century, in partnership with our aerospace industry, the work of NASA has helped define and strengthen our nation’s technological prowess. From building the world’s most powerful rockets to landing men on the Moon, sending […]

RNC 2012: Mitt Romney speech to GOP convention (Full Text), Washington Post “I was born in the middle of the century in the middle of the country, a classic baby boomer. It was a time when Americans were returning from war and eager to work. To be an American was to assume that all things were possible. When President Kennedy challenged Americans to go to the moon, the question wasn’t […]

Are you considering increasing funds to the space program?, Reddit President Obama: “Making sure we stay at the forefront of space exploration is a big priority for my administration. The passing of Neil Armstrong this week is a reminder of the inspiration and wonder that our space program has provided in the past; the curiosity probe on mars is a reminder of what remains to be discovered. The key is […]

The Top American Science Questions in 2012, Sciencedebate.org “ScienceDebate.org invited thousands of scientists, engineers and concerned citizens to submit what they felt were the the most important science questions facing the nation that the candidates for president should be debating on the campaign trail … 12. Space. The United States is currently in a major discussion over our national goals in space. What should America’s space exploration and utilization goals […]

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 […]

A conversation with Paul Ryan about Medicare reform, Cuba and NASA, ABC Action News “Ryan, who voted against the 2008 and 2010 NASA Authorization Acts, said he believed in a “robust space program.” He said the space agency, which has shed thousands of jobs after the retirement of the space shuttle and the cancelation of its Constellation program, was an “invaluable asset to our national security.” “President Obama has advanced […]

Romney Taunts Chinese Moon Landing Plans, TPM (with video) “On the campaign trail in Florida – home of the Space Coast – Monday, Romney taunted Chinese plans to land an unmanned probe on the on the moon in 2013. Romney: “This is still the greatest nation on earth. I know there are people around the world who are always critical of America, have something negative to say, say our greatest […]

Keith’s note: An election-oriented, invitation-only roundtable discussion is being held today in Melbourne, FL. Sponsored by the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, the event features former OSTP Chief of Staff Jim Kohlenberger and Obama for America Florida Policy Director Laurie Watkins. The topic is education and aerospace sector issues affecting Brevard County. Local educators and aerospace companies with a presence in Florida are sending representatives. Obama campaign to […]

As NASA Announces Partnerships With Commercial Crew Program, Floridians Worry About Romney’s Silence On Space Policy, Obama for America-Florida “As Floridians have seen President Obama’s continued commitment on moving our nation’s space program forward, Mitt Romney refuses to answer even the most basic questions surrounding space policy. He won’t say if he supports President Obama’s efforts to support and grow America’s commercial space industry, and as each day passes, it […]

Futron Releases 2012 Space Competitiveness Index, SpaceRef.biz “Futron has released its 2012 Space Competitiveness Index marking the 5th anniversary of the yearly publication. According to the report, the United States remains the overall leader in space competitiveness but is seeing a decline for the 5th year in a row.” Ex-NASA boss defends GW Bush “vision” (again…), Doctorlinda (Linda Billings) “Griffin told the committee that he’s grown “tired” of pronouncements that […]

AIAA to Hold Capitol Hill Dialogue on Deep Space Exploration “The panel … will be moderated by Dr. Scott Pace, director, Space Policy Institute, The George Washington University. … ” AIAA President Mike Griffin stated, “Human history is the story of societies expanding the frontiers of their time, exploiting and consolidating their gains on those frontiers, and moving on again. That history is not written by or about the people […]

NASA rebuts Cuyahoga County GOP claim of pending cuts at Cleveland’s Glenn Research Center “The Republican group’s news release also cited former NASA administrator Mike Griffin as a source on the layoffs. “The fact that the Obama administration is seriously considering moving human space flight work out of Glenn is deeply troubling,” Griffin is quoted as saying. “To eliminate Glenn’s role in human space flight is to call into question […]

Two-Thirds of Americans Think Barack Obama Is Better Suited to Handle an Alien Invasion Than Mitt Romney “In regards to national security, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans think Barack Obama would be better suited than fellow presidential candidate Mitt Romney to handle an alien invasion. In fact, more than two in three (68%) women say that Obama would be more adept at dealing with an alien invasion than Romney, vs. […]

Keith’s note: The agenda for today’s Aerospace Industires Association (AIA) Space Council has a 90 minute disucssion with only one campaign represented: “11:30-1:00 p.m. 2012 Election Speaker: Mr. Peter Marquez Romney Space Policy Advisory Group”. An earlier draft version of the agenda listed “Dr. Scott Pace, Chairman, Chair of the Romney Space Policy Advisory Group and Peter Marquez, Member, Romney Space Policy Advisory Group”. So where’s the Obama campaign representative? […]

Floridians Continue Waiting For Answers From Mitt Romney On Future Of Commercial Space, Obama Florida Press Office “This week, Mitt Romney’s Republican allies in Congress finally dropped their effort to eliminate the competition among the private space industry after the successful launch of SpaceX’s Dragon. While this is a step in the right direction, Floridians still deserve to know where Mitt Romney stands on space issues. While the world watched […]

Is Space Getting Too Politicized?, Wired “Now that the 2012 Presidential field is officially set, the candidates can finally focus on the question that is on everyone’s mind: what would you, as President, do with NASA? How would you guide the American space program? Ok, so space exploration isn’t exactly a high salience issue for most of the country, but it does loom large for several swing state constituencies, most […]

Space Quarterly Magazine June 2012 Issue Marc’s note: The current edition of Space Quarterly magazine has a couple of articles dealing with the election and space. One discusses the Democratic perspective and the other the Republican perspective. Below you’ll find excerpts from each. To read the full versions please subscribe to the magazine. A single digital issue is $5.95 while a 1 year digital subscription is $19. Space, Republicans, and […]

Obama’s tough decisions will lead nation forward in space, opinion, Mark Kelly, Orlando Sentinel “The decision to commercialize certain parts of our space program was not easy. I was not a fan at first of canceling the Constellation rocket program. I worried about what it would mean for NASA’s overall mission, and what it would do to the brilliant and patriotic men and women who work there. But I’m impressed […]