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Obama's Space PolicyWell, he still doesn't have one, but there's nothing particularly objectionable about these comments, as far as they go: Q: What do you plan to do with the space agency? Like right now they're currently underfunded, they, at first they didn't know if they were going to be able to operate Spirit rover. What do plan to do with it? I've long said that we need to have a national debate on what we want to do in space, and why--something that hasn't really happened since NASA was chartered, half a century ago, so I would certainly welcome such a debate in the unfortunate event of an Obama presidency. My question is, though: why wait? Why not have the debate now, so we can decide who we want to vote for, at least for those of us for whom space is a voting issue (if not the only consideration). What would be the venue and framework for the debate? What does Senator Obama think that the potential options are? Will he be constrained by past thinking, of space as the province of NASA and astronauts, with billions of dollars flowing in its porcine manner to Houston, Huntsville and the Cape, or will he be open to both goals and means that are more innovative than we've seen from any previous administration, including the Bush administration? Will he be a candidate for "hope" and "change" for the high frontier? Well, like all his other positions, he does offer "hope" and "change" for space with the above words, but not clue one as to what we should be hoping for, and what form the "change" will take. In other words, as on other issues, he continues to deal in platitudes, and is unwilling to take a stand, or even discuss potential options, for fear of alienating the voters, who he hopes will continue to view him as a political Rorschach test, and see in his space policy, as in all his policies, what they want to see. So while I hope that if elected, we will have that national dialogue about space, I don't have any high expectations either that it will actually happen, or that anything useful will come out of it, because he offers me no substance now. Of course, even if he told me that he's going to do all of the things that I'd like to see from a space policy standpoint, it wouldn't be sufficient to get me to vote for him because a) I couldn't be sure that he meant it, given his flip flopping on other issues, 2) his positions on other issues are too odious to allow me to be a single-issue voter on space and 3) even if sincere, there's no reason, given his complete lack of executive experience, that he will have any success whatsoever in implementing them. Still, I'd sure like to see that national debate. 17 CommentsLeave a comment
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The Myth of Presidential Leadership (I think that is a book title from Roger Launius) is one of the tragic legacies of Apollo. Anyway, what I dislike most about Obama's comment is this:
Yes, "going all out" sounds very good to me, but why is knowledge the only objective listed? I recall Rick Tumlinson's division of "why space" into Carl Sagan-ism, Werner von Braun-ism and Gerard O'Neill-ism.
On the other hand, Hillary Clinton is much much better than Obama at not saying what she really thinks and aside from people like Marburger (who was pretty much ignored when ESAS was adopted) no prominent Republican talks about potential economic development in space, either. Even the Aldridge Commission concluded that space shall remain the domain of governmental programs for the foreseeable future.
Why wait? I see no reason to wait unless we believe Presidential leadership is mission critical.
Good catch, Bill. Conventional thinking, and I doubt that he's really given it much thought, since it's not an important issue, from an electoral standpoint.
"And that's a major debate I'm going to want to convene when I'm president of the United States. What direction do we take the space program in?"
National dialog on race, debate space direction...whatever. Does this guy have a clear, reasoned personal position on ANYTHING aside from abandoning the Iraqis post haste? His bigest legislative accomplishment was voting 'present' so as to not leave a record to be critiqued.
And promising to have a "major debate" on the matter means you don't have to commit to anything.
I wish there was a better way to interact with the candidates, or have a debate about space policy.
Any great ideas?
I find plenty of clues from what Obama has said so far as to what Obama's space policy would actually be. And clues all indicate the end of manned space exploration.
Even the Aldridge Commission concluded that space shall remain the domain of governmental programs for the foreseeable future.
A small but significant correction: The Aldridge Commission said that *human spaceflight* would remain the province of government. They were fine with private enterprise continuing to launch satellites and such.
(The fact that they made their prediction the week *after* Mike Melvill earned his commercial astronaut wings merely confirms how isolated Beltway insiders are.)
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal government into all phase of public education, usurping the roles of state and local governments, siffling local innovation, competition, freedom of action, and imposing a "one size fits all" program that takes no acccount of differing local needs.
His education program's $18 billion per year cost impells him to sacrifice our spsce program, but is trading a proven existing space program for a pie in the sky project that may do more harm than good a wise move? I think not!
One consequenc of his delay is that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal government into all phase of public education.
One consequenc of his delay is that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal One consequenc of his delay is that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal into public education His delay will mean that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal into public education His delay will mean that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal into public education. His delay will mean that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal into public education. His delay will mean that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it, while he uses its funds to support a questionable intrusion of the federal into public education. His delay will mean that we will not have as capability to take our astronauts to the Space station until 14 years from now, in 2022. Since aerospace engineers critical to our space program will have to find other employment during his five-year delay, our space program might never recover!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it!
Regardless of what Obama may say here and there about his support of our space effort, the fact remains that his official website provides a plan to delay NASA's manned space program for five years, possibly decimating it!