Obama statement on Indian lunar launch

Late yesterday India launched its first lunar mission, Chandrayaan-1. In response to that milestone, the Barack Obama campaign issued the following statement from the candidate that ties that launch into his space policy:

With India’s launch of its first unmanned lunar spacecraft following closely on the heels of China’s first spacewalk, we are reminded just […]

Arguing over a nonexistent $3 billion

From a news report about a debate betweem Re. Nick Lampson (D-TX) and Pete Olson, his Republican challenger in the November election for the 22nd congressional district in the Houston area:

“I’d like to address one of the congressman’s statements that he got $3 billion for NASA. That’s simply not true. Senator Kay Bailey […]

Other notes from McCain’s speech

Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) said that John McCain was the space program’s best friend in remarks introducing the Republican presidential candidate in Melbourne. “The space program has never has a better friend than John McCain,” Martinez said, as reported by Florida Today . “The Straight Talk Express knows the importance of the American space […]

McCain and Mars

While there isn’t an official transcript of John McCain’s speech Friday in Melbourne, Florida on the McCain-Palin 2008 web site, you can see video of the speech courtesy of Florida Today (although it wasn’t working well for me this morning) and also Central Florida News 13. Here’s the passage by McCain that mentions space policy:

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Phantom cuts, part 2

The Wall Street Journal has the first (or one of the first) online reports about John McCain’s speech in Melbourne, Florida where the Republican presidential candidate planned to mention space. And, as expected, McCain offered an extra $2 billion for NASA for reducing the Shuttle-Constellation gap. The full text of the speech hasn’t appeared yet […]

Phantom cuts, part 1

CQ Politics published a transcript of a conference call featuring Sen. Bill Nelson earlier today talking about primarily about Medicare and Medicaid, but the senator, unsurprisingly, talked a bit about space policy in his opening remarks:

Well, as we speak, John McCain has left Miami and he’s en route to my home town of […]

Florida heats up

As noted here yesterday, John McCain is expected to discuss his support for additional NASA funding during a speech late today in Melbourne, Florida. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the McCain campaign is trying to get “space industry officials” to attend the rally, hoping that their attendance will be perceived as an endorsement of the […]

McCain to “confirm his support” for extra NASA funding on Friday

John McCain is scheduled to make a campaign stop Friday afternoon in Melbourne, Florida, and Florida Today reports that McCain will bring up his support of NASA during the speech: “Campaign spokesmen said the Republican presidential candidate will confirm his support for a $2 billion increase for the NASA budget.” Such a statement, coupled with […]

Bush signs NASA authorization bill

President Bush has signed into law HR 6063, the NASA Authorization Act of 2008, which Congress passed in late September. It was part of a group of bills that the President signed on Wednesday, and he made no public statement about this specific bill. Beyond the funding authorizations in the bill (which are unlikely to […]

Chronicle endorses Lampson

Up until earlier this week, Rep. Nick Lampson was perhaps the incumbent House Democrat most in danger of losing reelection, given the demographics of his district. (Rep. Tim Mahoney (D-FL) can probably now claim that dubious honor, for reasons that have nothing to do with district demographics). Lampson, whose district includes NASA’s Johnson Space Center, […]