[FPSPACE] Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Obama vows NASA support during visit to Florida

[John Charles]

This in an interesting topic.  I offer a few thoughts for discussion.

Could any US President or any serious candidate for President
seriously consider that "ceding our leadership in space" would be a
viable part of his or her platform?

What is the evidence that "We cannot cede our leadership in space"
represents a change of heart for Sen. Obama?

Did his earlier notion to spend more money on education amount to
"ceding our leadership in space"?

How is leadership in space measured, anyway?  Is a nation a leader in
space only if it has an active piloted program?  If so, are there now
three nations with space leadership?

If a nation voluntarily suspends its piloted program to prepare for a
new, more ambitious piloted program, has it ceded its leadership in
space, even temporarily?

Or is tonnage somehow involved, or crew size, or number of people
flown per year?

Or is leadership in space measured by total expenditure on space
exploration, either in actual dollars or in percent of the national
government's budget?  If so, is the US in serious danger of "ceding
leadership in space"?

As the US political season becomes even more overheated and internally
inconsistent, I hope that we on this international list can continue
to discuss space-related events with our usual equanimity, and ask
ourselves the questions that the press doesn't think to ask and the
candidates don't know how or can't answer.

John Charles
Houston, Texas

On Sun, Aug 3, 2008 at 10:11 AM, Alex Michael Bonnici
<albonnici at vol.net.mt> wrote:
> Hello One and All
>               This bit of news just came my way today. Obama wants to
> reestablish National Space Council.
>
> To quote  Senator Obama's own words:
>
> "Under my watch, NASA will inspire the world once again and make America
> stronger and it's going to help grow the economy right here in Brevard
> County and right here in Florida. That's what we're going to do. That's what
> this election's all about. It's about raising our sights, seizing the
> moment, reclaiming our destiny."
>
>
>
> "So let me be clear," he said. "We cannot cede our leadership in space.
>
> Why the sudden change of heart?
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
>
> Alex Michael Bonnici
>
>
> http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0808/02obama/
>
>
>
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>



-- 
John Charles
Houston, Texas