Space a Potential Fracture Line at Democratic National Convention?

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July 30, 10:40 AM

by Patricia Phillips, Space News Examiner

 

 

Sen. Bill Nelson STS 61-C Photo 

When the Democratic National Convention rolls into the Mile-High City, two leaders with widely-varying views on space will symbolize a potential fracture in the Democratic party over space .

On the one hand, there's senior party member Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL, not only a space booster but a veteran space flier himself. On the other hand, there's the presumptive nominee, Sen. Barack Obama, who's widely regarded as anti-space,  despite this weeks's Google spin.

Nelson's a veteran politician, with strong industry and commercial ties. The  fifth-generation Floridian  was elected to the Florida legislature in 1972.  In 1978, he was elected to the u.S. Congress, where he served six terms. In 1994,he won election to the post of Florida state Treasurer, Insurance  Commissioner and Fire Marshal. He spent six years there before being elected to the U.S. Senate.

He currently serves on the Senate Commerce, Armed Services, Budget, Foreign 
Relations, Intelligence, and Aging committees and is recognized as the leading congressional expert on NASA.

And that recognition is well-earned. In January 1986, Nelson spent six days  orbiting Earth as a payload specialist aboard the space shuttle Columbia on mission STS 61-C. Nelson assisted with several payload experiments during  what has to be one of the most unusual Congressional fact-finding missions in  history.

Nelson's a strong advocate of the space program. Right now he's fighting NASA  budget cuts and the upcoming loss of not only jobs, but space know-how, at  Florida's Kennedy Space Center.

Nelson marked the  50th anniversary of the founding of NASA by leading  a bipartisan group of senators in a resolution calling for renewed support  NASA to maintain America’s position as the world’s leader in space, science  and technology.  In sounding the call to honor and support America's space program, Nelson  reached back into history and forward into tomorrow's promise.

"t’s hard to believe, but it was 50 years ago today that Dwight Eisenhower  signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, creating America’s space  agency, NASA.  It’s equally hard to believe, but it was just a few short years after that -  that John F. Kennedy presented a bold challenge before a joint session of  Congress: Send a man to the moon and return him safely to Earth by the end of  the decade.

Skeptics, of course, thought it could not be done.

But NASA’s Mercury, Gemini andApollo missions were designed with Kennedy’s  objective in mind.

And, on July 20, 1969, Kennedy's dream became a reality, when two Apollo 11  astronauts left human footprints on the dusty moon.

It was, as one of the astronauts insightfully said: a small step for a man,  but a giant leap for mankind.

Since then, we’ve flown the shuttles, built a space station and explored  Jupiter and Mars.  We’ve even peered beyond our own solar system, deep into  the universe. 

As President Kennedy promised all those years ago, science and education have  been greatly enriched by new knowledge of our universe and environment; and,  life here on Earth has improved by leaps and bounds from new space tools and  computers adapted for industry, medicine and the home.

America’s space effort also has created scores of new companies and hundreds  of thousands of new jobs. Simply put: we all reap the harvest of gains from our exploration of outer  space.

That’s why we cannot cede our leadership in space or waiver in our support  for NASA."

Nelson and other space supporters have a tough job ahead as the Space Shuttle  phases out in 2010 and new vehicles are developed. Internationally, other  nations are creating their own space presence, as America's space program  shudders under increasing financial stress.

Into that environment strides Sen. Barack Obama, widely known as not quite a  space kind of guy. Six months ago, Obama said that he would chop a third of  NASA's budget and move it into education.

Now, however, Obama decided to get into the public relations spin of the NASA  anniversary. As Google released special artwork to mark the anniversary,  Obama's office launched a pro-space statement.

"“In recent years, Washington has failed to give NASA a robust, balanced and  adequately funded mission. Though the good people of NASA who work day in and  day out on new frontiers are doing amazing things, Americans are no longer  inspired as they once were. That’s a failure of leadership. “I believe we need to revitalize NASA’s mission to maintain America’s  leadership, and recommit our nation to the space program, and as President I  intend to do just that. We must revive the American ingenuity that led  millions of children look to NASA astronauts and scientists as role models  and enter the fields of math, engineering and science. Our leadership in the  world depends on it.

Does that statement signal a sudden reversal of Obama's position? Space  insiders aren't so sure that one small PR step equals a giant leap for potential Obama  support of NASA's space program.

Nelson's a solid party man, but a man with a vision and a belief in space.  Obama, his new party leader, is a man who so far seems to be on a different  trajectory than Nelson and other pro-space party leaders.

Denver could bring sparks as Democratic leaders try to hammer in the planks  of a party platform. Nelson and other leaders focused on science, technology,  and space, need a strong commitment, backed by dollars, to those programs.   Obama needs party positions that engender entitlement programs.

Will the two positions find a middle ground? That could be one of the major  fights of the upcoming Democratic National Convention.

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