Perhaps from the campaign debate at ISDC

From your report about ISDC

He also said Obama would create a “supportive environment for scientific research and space exploration” in the public and private sectors, “including the new generation of entrepreneurs who are interested in space exploration.”

That, combined with Obama’s comments about determining real benefits, which he’s said some variation on multiple times, is my bet.

I think you missed a very interesting piece of news that was part of the LA Times editorial. It says at the very end:

Yet it’s Obama who is sounding like the more realistic, market-oriented candidate. His campaign said recently that Obama hopes to enhance NASA’s role “in confronting the challenges we face here on Earth, including global climate change” and “to reach out and include international partners and engage the private sector to increase NASA’s reach and provide real public economic benefits for the nation.”

FWIW,

– Al

“Politics is not rocket science, which is why rocket scientists do not understand politics.”

Glenn Smith’s proposal to somehow use the ISS to actually get a demo of space solar power done – so that we’ve got more than just paper studies to point to – is generically right on; in fact, the National Security Space Office SSP Cadets have been trying to get NASA interested in exactly that. I think that an easier thing to get done is to first use already-in place – or about to be in-place – ISS assets to do a proof of concept with the one other country that has its own SSP Cadets: and that’s Japan. In fact, in some facets of space solar power, the Japanese Aerospace Research and Development Agency has done more work than the U.S. has.

One logical – and, cheap – first joint demo: make use of already-paid for Japanese assets – the Japanese external facility on ISS, and the H-2 Transfer Vehicle – to do a demo of real power beaming and use. The external facility on ISS, and the development and flying the HTV, are already ‘paid for'; they don’t have to be developed; as is the huge power output from the large ISS solar panels. For a meaningful demo, “all” that would have to be paid for is the interface electronics and transmitter placed on the Japanese exposed facility. The HTV – whose development and first several trips have already been ‘paid for’ – could be fitted with a receiver, converter and interface electronics for its own systems.

The HTV flight selected could then come to the ISS and deliver its cargo, per the already agreed process; be loaded with trash, and leave ISS. But then, the solar power demo would come in: using the ISS’s vast arrays as a power source, power could be beamed from the Japanese exposed facility to the free-flying, trash-laden HTV, which would then disconnect it’s own power source and do a series of maneuvers solely on transmitted power.

The ‘down side’ is that this would not be a space-to-ground system demo. But we don’t have that now, anyway. What it would do is demonstrate a practical possibility for how solar cells collecting power one place can transmit that power and effectively use it in another place. And it would not require a single new flight of any vehicle; rather, it would make use of tens of billions of dollars of already paid for space assets put together by many countries. It would be the cheapest way to do a highly visible demo.

Insisting on a space-to-ground demo as the sole first step is not necessary; and in fact, it may be insisting on too big a step all at once. Our Japanese friends already have a built-in cadre of space solar power enthusiasts; and I think they could be persuaded to join the U.S. in using the Japanese external facility, the HTV, and the ISS for a real (and relatively cheap) operational demo. And the U.S. here could be three agencies: DOD/NSSO, Department of Agency, and NASA, further lowering the cost to each.

Or, put another way: if the two most pro-space solar power countries can’t even get a simple demo like that done – using already-developed billion-dollar assets – than wishful thinking on an even more expensive first step is just that.
Let’s get a real demo done sooner, not later.