If you saw this Orlando Sentinel headline—“Former Fla. lawmaker to help Palin on space”—the first thing that may have popped into your mind was the former vice presidential candidate was already assembling a coterie of advisers to prepare for a future run at national office. And while that might eventually be the case, the news was instead linked to Palin’s current position as Alaska governor: she appointed former Congressman Dave Weldon to the board of directors of the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation, the state corporate that operates the Kodiak Launch Complex.
That selection doesn’t sit well with the editorial board of Florida Today, and for reasons having nothing to do with any political ambitions of Governor Palin. The paper is worried that Alaska will use Weldon’s experience and connections to win business away from the Cape, and calls Weldon’s decision to joint the board “disappointing”. An excerpt:
Palin cited Weldon’s experience on the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics for the appointment. But what she didn’t say undoubtedly played a part in the decision:
His insider knowledge of Florida’s plans to utilize Cape Canaveral Air Force Station – which also was in his district – to lure private rocket and satellite companies.
That – coupled with Weldon’s Washington know-how in steering space projects to states – could cost Brevard County more jobs in the fierce competition among Florida and other states to attract launch business at a time when the shuttle’s retirement next year will result in about 3,500 job cuts at KSC.
There is, as you might have guessed, a problem with this assessment: Cape Canaveral and Kodiak aren’t much in competition with one another. While the Cape focuses primarily on larger launch vehicles, including the EELVs and the Shuttle, Kodiak can only currently host small launch vehicles. The Cape can’t support launches in polar orbits (at least not very well), while Kodiak can essentially only do polar orbit launches. And in recent years pretty much the only launch activity out of Kodiak has been in support of missile defense tests, as opposed to satellite launches. So, while it’s good to be vigilant, there’s a fine line between vigilance and paranoia.
