Keith’s note: Let’s start with the loss of Columbia in 2003. O’Keefe talks Bush into completing ISS, then retiring Space Shuttle, then going back to the Moon by 2018 and then on to Mars 10 years Later. Then Iraq happens and Griffin changes course with the “Apollo on Steroids” thing and pivots toward Mars and away from the Moon. Then Obama tells Bolden “Moon – been there, done that, lets […]

NASA to Discuss FY2018 Budget Proposal, Provide Virtual Tours of Centers “NASA will hold a series of events Tuesday, May 23, highlighting the agency’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposal, including a televised State of NASA address by acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot.” Keith’s note: Earlier this year the White House put forth a budget that cut many things at NASA – thus allowing it to barely tread water. Then Congress responded […]

Blue Planet/Red Planet Politics: Obama’s Giant Leap for Legacy, Scientific American “Yet whether Mars will truly be part of the president’s space legacy remains to be seen, says Marcia Smith, founder and editor of SpacePolicyOnline.com. “I think Obama’s civil space legacy will be his embrace of commercial partnerships, not humans to Mars,” she says. Ultimately Obama’s legacy depends in large part on what the next administration does, Smith says. If […]

"You almost want to get in and take off, don't you?" @POTUS says. pic.twitter.com/DfAJOGyBWR — Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) October 13, 2016 Interplanetary Frontiers, OSTP: Harnessing the Possibilities of Science, Technology, and Innovation “At the beginning of his Administration, President Obama set out anew vision for space exploration, harking back to the spirit of possibility and exploration that defined the space race of the 1960s, while building upon and advancing 21st […]

Barack Obama: America will take the giant leap to Mars, Barack Obama “This week, we’ll convene some of America’s leading scientists, engineers, innovators and students in Pittsburgh to dream up ways to build on our progress and find the next frontiers. Just five years ago, US companies were shut out of the global commercial launch market. Today, thanks to groundwork laid by the men and women of NASA, they own […]

Here’s why a Clinton administration might pivot NASA back to the Moon, Ars Technica “Obama killed Constellation after convening a committee in 2009 that was led by Norm Augustine, which reviewed Constellation and other options for US human spaceflight programs. One of that committee’s members, former astronaut Leroy Chiao, said Monday night, “The Constellation program, frankly, had a lot of funding problems and some pretty serious technical problems. You know […]

President Obama to Host White House Science Fair “Today, President Obama will host the White House Science Fair and celebrate the student winners of a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) competitions from across the country. The President will also announce new steps as part of his Educate to Innovate campaign, an all-hands-on-deck effort to get more girls and boys inspired to excel in these key subjects.”

Back to the Moon? Not any time soon, says Bolden, Space Politics “However, [Bolden] made it clear NASA has no plans to lead its own human return to the Moon under his watch. “NASA will not take the lead on a human lunar mission,” he said. “NASA is not going to the Moon with a human as a primary project probably in my lifetime. And the reason is, we can […]

Former NASA administrator Mike Griffin throws cold water on commercial space market, then offers solution, Huntsville Times “Griffin, a persistent critic of President Obama’s space program, said the current system consists of companies such as SpaceX operating with “government as their venture capitalist.” For NASA Administrator, This Mission Is a Tad Personal, Washington Post (2009) “Griffin’s press secretary, David Mould, told the Associated Press that Griffin isn’t campaigning and expects […]

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. […]