NASA and the Election!
Anyone else paying attention to the candidates’ views on NASA for this election?
If you are, maybe you’re like me and just want to laugh. Is it just me, or does everyone seem to be changing their minds? (the following description is more a summary of what I think I’ve read over the past few months rather than any sort of real analysis)
Back when McCain was wrapping up the nomination and Obama and Clinton were still resolving things, it seemed like the space community was generally more supportive of McCain. After all, there were indications that Obama was going to delay the Constellation Program in order to pay for education initiatives.
Over the following months, there was a shift in Obama’s stance on NASA. As of a week or so ago, he seemed to be the most supportive of NASA, providing detailed space policies on his website and indicating that he is going to support giving NASA more money to aid the transition to Constellation.
Now, over the past few days, McCain seems to have taken up the cry to support NASA. On Friday, he spoke in Florida and indicated that he was also going to give NASA more money!
I don’t get it. Is this just a battle for Florida votes? Or are these real shifts in how the candidates view NASA?
FYI, you might want to check out the Obamanauts website at http://obamanauts.org/. There’s some interesting info there, including a comparison of the two candidates’ space policies. I don’t know of any similar group on McCain’s side of the aisle.
2 comments
Whatever the candidates say, if NASA becomes a political issue, it will be a good thing for NASA. At this point the funding is in place to complete the Orion vehicle, but not much else. If SpaceRace 2.0 occurs NASA will have the opportunity to argue for the additional funding required to put another man on the moon. There are many parallels to the first space race, Kennedy was in large part reacting to the issue of the “missile gap” issue created by his political opponents when he put us on the course to achieve a lunar landing. Whomever wins the Presidency in November, I’m sure the opposition party will be pointing to Russia, China, India, Japan, and Iran to scream about the US falling behind. If NASA is able to navigate the political arena properly we may see more Americans on the moon in the next decade.
I’m inclined to be cynical. I do think this is more of a plea for Florida votes than a plan to revitalize the space program. I hope I’m pleasantly surprised! I think NASA has a lot to offer the nation, not just in manned missions, but in technological advances of all sorts and in climate studies in particular. But it seems to me that the candidates and the general public are much more focused on alternative energy technology, healthcare, and the economic crisis; NASA is just a side note if it’s a note at all.
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