Space Politics
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Archive for Lobbying
May 8, 2008 at 6:54 am · Filed under NASA, Lobbying
The Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill reviews the concerns about the gap in US government human spaceflight, arguing that “[a]erospace companies are using memories of the Cold War and the prospect of American astronauts having to hitch a ride on a Russian rocket” in an effort to increase NASA funding. The article profiles both SpaceX, which is seeking additional money to fund COTS Capability D (the crew transport option), and United Space Alliance, which wants additional funding to accelerate Constellation.
What’s noteworthy is that these companies are drawing increasingly on big-name lobbying firms in their efforts. SpaceX, the article notes, has hired the Podesta Group to lobby for additional NASA funding, while USA has hired the new Breaux-Lott Leadership Group (founded early this year by former senators John Breaux and Trent Lott) in addition to its existing lobbyists.
April 14, 2008 at 7:52 am · Filed under Campaign '08, Lobbying
At a town hall meeting in Columbus, Indiana, on Friday, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was asked again about NASA. Specifically, a “young man” asked him, “What do you plan to do with the space agency?” Obama’s answer was pretty much the same as what he has said recently: that it was time to revisit what NASA should be doing and how. “I think it needs to be redefined, though,” he said. “We’ve kind of lost a sense of mission in terms of what it is that NASA should be trying to achieve and I think that we’ve gotta make some big decisions about whether or not, are we going to try to send manned, you know, space launches, or are we better off in terms of what we’re learning sending unmanned probes which oftentimes are cheaper and less dangerous, but yield more information.”
If there was one relatively new thing in his comments, it was that it appears that he would defer any decisions on exactly how NASA’s mission should be redefined until after he becomes president (assuming, of course, he’s elected.) “[T]hat’s a major debate I’m going to want to convene when I’m president of the United States,” he said. “What direction do we take the space program in? Once we have a sense of what’s going to be most valuable for us in terms of gaining knowledge, then I think we’ll able to adjust the budget so that we’re going all out on what it is that we’ve decided to do.”
Such language is unlikely to mollify space advocates concerned about the potential changes a President Obama might make to NASA. Then again, there hasn’t been nearly the outcry against Obama’s proposals, including a proposed five-year delay for Constellation, as some might expect. In an article last week in The Space Review, Greg Zsidisin describes Obama’s proposed changes and the response he got from Obama when he asked the candidate a question during a Wyoming town hall meeting last month. Zsidisin followed that article up this week with a review of the positions, or the lack thereof, space industry organizations and advocacy groups have taken in response to Obama’s proposals, or those of the other candidates, for that matter.
Zsidisin blames a lot of the relative silence on the issue on the fact that many of these groups are 501(c)(3)’s, organizations with tax-exempt status from the IRS that strictly limits what they can do in terms of political lobbying. (A contributing factor, he adds, is the degree of conservatism—in the sense of cautiousness, not as a region of the political spectrum—in space advocacy, which Zsidisin blames on the fact that so many members of advocacy groups are also employed in the space industry.) What’s needed, he argues, are more 501(c)(4) lobbying groups like ProSpace, which do not have the same restrictions on lobbying as their 501(c)(3) cousins.
And, as it turns out, one such lobbying group is now forming. In another essay in today’s issue of The Space Review, Jeff Brooks describes the formation of such a group, called the Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration. Brooks describes the group as “the country’s only fully-empowered Political Action Committee (PAC) designed to support pro-space candidates in federal elections.” In the essay, he argues, “Politicians must be made to know that they will gain by supporting space exploration and will suffer if they don’t. Until the space advocacy movement learns to play political hardball, its efforts will continue to be largely ineffectual.”
March 7, 2008 at 5:58 am · Filed under Lobbying
The grassroots space lobbying group ProSpace has released its agenda for March Storm 2008, which starts with training this weekend. The agenda focuses on three keys areas: Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS), detection of near Earth objects (NEOs), and space solar power (SSP). Its biggest requests are in COTS: ProSpace is asking for two more funded COTS awards, and that “any additional funds” go to COTS rather than Ares 1 and Orion. ProSpace is also asking for “sufficient funds” in 2009 and beyond for resupply services to “maximize the use of ISS”.
For NEOs, ProSpace is asking for support for proposed legislation, the “NEO Detection, Impact Response and Collision Mitigation Planning Act” (not to be confused with the “NEO Preparedness Act”, HR 4917, that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher introduced in December) that would direct the National Science and Technology Council to study NEO search and impact mitigation efforts. On the SSP front, ProSpace is asking members of Congress to sign a letter for John Young, Undersecretary of Defense for
Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, asking him to follow up on the NSSO’s SSP study last year by developing a road map for future SSP work.
March 4, 2008 at 6:57 am · Filed under Lobbying
In Monday’s issue of The Space Review, Alex Kirk recounts last month’s “Blitz” by the Space Exploration Alliance (SEA), where a group of space activists met with over 120 Congressional offices about the NASA budget and other space policy issues. Kirk reports that what got the most attention and (positive) reaction from members and staffers were specific issues, such as COTS and space solar power, rather than focusing on generalities like NASA’s overall funding level. He concludes:
The lesson to be learned from this is simple: whenever possible, space advocates should make their pitches in support of NASA or other space exploration activity very targeted and explicit. A letter or a call to an office that simply states general support for space is certainly preferable to no contact at all, but if an individual or a group can call for funding for a specific aspect of space exploration, or come out in support of or opposition to a specific bill, their impact will be magnified substantially.
February 26, 2008 at 5:21 am · Filed under Lobbying
I had not heard too much about the results of the recent “Space Blitz” by the Space Exploration Alliance (SEA) earlier this month, where members of the SEA’s organzations briefed Congressional offices about NASA funding and associated issues. The SEA, through the Mars Society, did issue a press release last week, which I’ve reprinted below (it doesn’t appear on the SEA or Mars Society sites), that summarizes their meetings.
A reminder that ProSpace is ramping up preparations for March Storm 2008 on March 9-12. This year’s agenda features two major themes, developing space resources and developing a commercial space infrastructure.
Read the rest of this entry »
February 20, 2008 at 6:56 am · Filed under Other, Lobbying
Florida’s space industry will be trekking to the state capitol in Tallahassee next month to lobby for support as the industry approaches the post-shuttle era, Florida Today reported Wednesday. Space Day, on March 6, will feature meetings with over 100 state legislators as well as the governor and lieutenant governor. The article is scant on details about exactly what they will be asking for, though: “Recommendations will include a shuttle work force transition program and continued investment in university-based aerospace research and applied technology programs.”
January 29, 2008 at 7:21 pm · Filed under Campaign '08, Lobbying
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 what’s important. As a supporter of space, this is your opportunity to get questions about Space Exploration at the forefront of the debate. Please check out the following link: http://capwiz.com/spaceadvocate/utr/1/OSTZIARNGS/ATHLIARRAS/1699563546, and vote for your favorite question, or submit one of your own. Questions about candidates’ views on Space Exploration have been in the top 10 for over a week. Let’s keep these on the radar. Be sure to check out the “most popular” area in both the Democratic and Republican section to see the specific question and submit your vote.
SpaceAdvocate.com is current undergoing maintenance at this time. However, you CAN make a difference by making your voice heard this week. Cast your vote or submit a question….TODAY!
Sincerely,
SpaceAdvocate.com and the Coalition for Space Exploration
I was about to rail on the folks at SpaceAdvocate.com for being a little late to the party: the effort to push space questions up in the rankings on the site had been going on for a couple of weeks, and the first of the two debates is tomorrow night. But the problem is much worse than that. If you go to the SpaceAdvocate.com web site, what you find is the “SpaceAdvocate Web Directory” (”Welcome to the new generation of link building. Do your website a big favor!”) The domain is registered to someone in Ankara, Turkey, who is selling links on the home page. It would seem that the Coalition for Space Exploration, which established SpaceAdvocate.com in late 2006, forgot to renew or otherwise lost control of the domain, and it was snatched up by someone else. (I guess that’s what they mean when they say that “SpaceAdvocate.com is current [sic] undergoing maintenance at this time.” Good luck with that.)
January 18, 2008 at 7:21 am · Filed under Lobbying
ProSpace has released its agenda for its March Storm lobbying blitz in early March, with two major themes: “Developing Space Resources” and “Develop Commercial Space Infrastructure”. The former calls for support of space-based solar power and NEO detection and risk mitigation efforts. The latter calls for expanded funding for COTS and the passage of the Spaceport Equality Act and Aeronautics and Space Prize Act. March Storm 2008 will take place March 8-12, a week later that previously planned.
March Storm isn’t the only lobbying effort planned for the coming weeks. The Space Exploration Alliance has its 2008 Legislative Blitz planned for a month earlier than March Storm, February 10-12. That’s prompted “space cynic” Shubber Ali to propose an anti-blitz blitz at the same time to “counter the voices of the hucksters and their gullible followers” who support the Vision for Space Exploration. Then there are new efforts like “Political Action for Space” that has a four-step plan to make space policy “impacted for good”. Meanwhile, people are excited that space questions are at the top of Politico.com’s list of most popular debate questions, without any information about just how many votes have been cast for those questions, nor any guarantees any of those questions will be used in the debates.
And people still wonder why space policy activism isn’t more effective.
January 4, 2008 at 6:42 am · Filed under Lobbying
As you might expect, the Mars Society is disappointed that the final FY08 appropriations bill includes a provision that prohibits NASA from spending any money on work “related exclusively to the human exploration of Mars.” In a press release issued this week, the organization “expressed its disappointment” with both that language and with the overall level of funding for NASA’s exploration programs. “If this language makes it into future budgets, I guarantee that this program will slowly become a Moon-only effort - or worse,” said society political director Chris Carberry. “Congress and the next President of the United States need to accelerate this program rather than limiting it.”
The press release isn’t up yet on the Mars Society’s web site, so I’ve included the text below. Also note that Carberry will be on The Space Show program this Sunday at 3 pm EST.
Mars Society: NASA Funding Bill Could Cripple Vision For Space Exploration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - The Mars Society would like to express its disappointment concerning the NASA portion of the Congressional Omnibus Appropriations Bill that was signed by the President last week.
While the bill provides additional support for science missions - including for exploration of Mars - it fails to adequately fund NASA’s plans to return to the Moon and then send humans to Mars. One of the worst aspects of the bill is that it contains language that would prohibit “funding of any research, development, or demonstration activities related exclusively to human exploration of Mars”.
Not only is this language counter-productive to running a coherent multi-year exploration plan, but it is not consistent with the NASA Authorization that Congress overwhelmingly approved in 2005. In that Authorization bill, Congress approved NASA’s plans to send humans to Mars and supported the expenditures that will be necessary to make that goal possible - something that the Omnibus bill does not do.
“Although this bill is unlikely to have a large immediate impact on the program, it sets a terrible precedent,” said Mars Society Political Director Chris Carberry. “If this language makes it into future budgets, I guarantee that this program will slowly become a Moon-only effort - or worse. Congress and the next President of the United States need to accelerate this program rather than limiting it. We certainly will not be creating an effective program or be serving the tax payers well by keeping this program endlessly on ‘life-support.’”
The Mars Society calls on members of the United States Congress to oppose any efforts to include this language in any future budgets. It is time for the United States to fully commit to sending humans to Mars as soon as possible.
The Mars Society is a private international grassroots organization dedicated to furthering the case for human exploration of Mars. Since its founding in 1998, The Mars Society’s strong commitment to both outreach and research has put it at the forefront of Mars exploration proponents, with 7000 members in 40 countries. The organization currently operates multiple world class research facilities which investigate many technical and human factors associated with human space exploration. Significant political and public outreach has led to several hundred meetings with U.S. congressional offices, and has otherwise reached hundreds of millions of people through various media outlets.
For more information, please contact Chris Carberry, or visit http://www.marssociety.org
December 15, 2007 at 4:32 pm · Filed under Congress, Campaign '08, Lobbying
The Space Exploration Alliance (SEA) is planning an annual “legislative blitz” in February, bringing together to people to meet Congressional staffers on space policy issues. The February 10-12 event will be focused on the FY2009 budget proposal, which will have been released about a week earlier. “Participants will be the first members of the space advocacy community to visit Congress to discuss the FY09 budget,” the announcement reads (unless someone gets there the week before). The effort will also be directed at “numerous efforts in Congress to either delay or derail NASA’s Moon-Mars plans”. The irony of all this is they could be meeting about the FY09 budget proposal before the FY08 budget is actually enacted, given the slow rate of progress on that effort so far.
Meanwhile, the SEA is also paying attention to the presidential campaign, asking the candidates to provide details on their space policy positions. “The Space Exploration Alliance applauds Senator Hillary Clinton for releasing her comprehensive space policy,” the SEA release notes, “and calls on all of the other candidates to release the details of their policies for space exploration and NASA.”
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