January « 2008 « Space Politics

Policy obstacles cleared for COTS

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 31 at 7:14 am ET

Earlier this week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) denied a protest by Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) regarding the NASA COTS recompete. RpK had protested NASA’s use of a funded Space Act Agreement (the same type that RpK had, and then lost, last year when it failed to meet milestones in the agreement) for the COTS recompete, […]

Congress makes sure we remember Explorer 1

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 31 at 6:45 am ET

Fifty years ago tonight the United States “officially” entered the Space Age with the successful launch of Explorer 1. In honor of the occasion, the House Science and Technology Committee announced yesterday that Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO), chair of the committee’s space subcommittee, introduced a resolution honoring the anniversary. The resolution, H.Con.Res. 287, cosponsored by […]

Reviewing the great space debate uprising of 2008

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 30 at 7:38 am ET

This week’s issue of Space News has an article (an updated version of which is online) reviewing the efforts of space advocates to get questions about space into the Republican and Democratic debates held tonight and tomorrow night, respectively, by CNN, Politico, and the Los Angeles Times. These some background about the person who get […]

Did space policy affect the Florida primary results?

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 30 at 7:09 am ET

So did those visits with Space Coast officials, statements about space policy, and endorsements from former NASA administrators have a significant effect on the results of the Republican primary in Florida yesterday? John McCain, the winner of the state, also won in Brevard County, the heart of the Space Coast. However, the results mirrored the […]

How not to do space advocacy

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 29 at 7:21 pm ET

Late this afternoon I got the following email:

Dear Space Advocate,

This week, the presidential candidates will be at the podium again discussing the significant topics of our nation, and YOU have a chance to ask about whatâ€™s important. As a supporter of space, this is your opportunity to get questions about Space Exploration […]

Rudy is from Mars; voters, though, may not be…

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 29 at 5:25 am ET

The Miami Herald reports that, on the eve of today’s key Republican primary, presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani expressed his support for space exploration during a campaign stop Monday night at Florida International University. The US, Giuliani said, would “be the first [country to land] on Mars,” the newspaper quoted Giuliani as saying, without providing any […]

O’Keefe endorses McCain

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 28 at 1:12 pm ET

The John McCain campaign announced today that the Republican presidential candidate has been endorsed by former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe. O’Keefe: “John’s commitment to our national security and to exploration and discovery, coupled with his passion to improve our nation’s math and science education system to assure American competitiveness, should lead all Americans to conclude […]

McCain: “strong supporter” of NASA and space program

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 27 at 9:29 pm ET

A reader tipped me off to this new space policy statement from the McCain campaign:

John McCain have been a strong supporter of NASA and the space program. He is proud to have sponsored legislation authorizing funding consistent with the President’s vision for the space program, which includes a return of astronauts to the Moon […]

Space questions slipping in Politico debate standings

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 27 at 12:54 pm ET

The most popular debate question suggested for this week’s debates being organized by Politico, CNN, and the Los Angeles Times is no longer related to space policy, according to a check midday Sunday. For the Democratic debate January 31, the top-ranked most popular question is related to Gulf Coast hurricane relief, although space questions still […]

The Space Coast wonders about life after Weldon

By Jeff Foust on 2008 January 26 at 9:20 am ET

With Congressman Dave Weldon’s announcement yesterday that he will not run for reelection in 2008, people in Florida’s Space Coast region are pondering what impact that will have on the space program and their livelihoods. Not surprisingly, people are worried about the loss of Weldon’s seniority and influence in Washington (influence that is somewhat diminished […]

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