The Pink Flamingo :: John McCain's Interest in Space Exploration

The other day, over at Race42008, there was a wonderful little thread about John McCain and Space Exploration. The bottom line - he's for it! He wants to send a human - American human - (notice no gender bias) to Mars! So do I! Let's just say, the man gets it. He knows how important a strong American presence in space is. He understands that we need to keep the current shuttle program running until we have a viable replacement. To that effect, he has petitioned the White House to keep the program going beyond its planned retirement.

"...McCain pledged support for boosting NASA's budget by about $2 billion a year to help shorten the human space flight gap, an idea pushed by some key members of Congress and recently endorsed by Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. President Bush has thus far resisted a big cash infusion for NASA...."

If something isn't done, we're going to lose the people who make NASA great.

"...Nearly half of government shuttle workers worry about their future after the planned 2010 retirement of the fleet, internal agency documents show. Two-thirds say they aim to stay on through the last mission. At the same time, however, three out of four say they might jump ship if the right opportunity presents itself. A growing number of them are not happy with the amount and quality of information they are getting from NASA about the future of their jobs. The findings -- outlined in NASA employee surveys -- point out a major problem. The retention of critically skilled workers is a top risk for the $3 billion-a-year shuttle program -- a risk that ranks higher than the potential for solid rocket booster or main engine failures in flight...."

As President, John McCain would:

"...Ensure that space exploration is top priority and that the U.S. remains a leader;

Commit to funding the NASA Constellation program to ensure it has the resources it needs to begin a new era of human space exploration.

Review and explore all options to ensure U.S. access to space by minimizing the gap between the termination of the Space Shuttle and the availability of its replacement vehicle;

Ensure the national space workforce is maintained and fully utilized;

Complete construction of the ISS National Laboratory;

Seek to maximize the research capability and commercialization possibilities of the ISS National Laboratory;

Maintain infrastructure investments in Earth-monitoring satellites and support systems;

Seek to maintain the nation's space infrastructure;

Prevent wasteful earmarks from diverting precious resources from critical scientific research;

and Ensure adequate investments in aeronautics research...."

Our whole future is tied up in a strong national space program. If we do not have this space infrastructure we cannot repair satellites, let alone launch them. We cannot utilize the ISS. We cannot continue exploration of space. We cannot maintain our national security. If you don't understand - satellites track the movement of enemy troops. We get our television from satellites. Want a GPS? Want to track the movement of earth-killing asteroids? Want to go back to the moon? Want to weaponize space (I do)?

John McCain "gets it". Unfortunately Barack Obama doesn't have a clue.