Round Up: Presidential Candidates Talk Space

Space exploration has become a topic of interest in U.S. presidential debates for the first time in over 40 years. Seventeen individuals are running for president in the two major parties' primaries. Several of them have expressed opinions about space; but most, to our knowledge, have not spoken directly about space, or addressed it at all. Below are statements from the candidates and/or their campaigns.

Democratic Party

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Pursuing an ambitious 21st century Space Exploration Program, by implementing a balanced strategy of robust human spaceflight, expanded robotic spaceflight, and enhanced space science activities.
Developing a comprehensive space-based Earth Sciences agenda, including full funding for NASA's Earth Sciences program and a space-based Climate Change Initiative that will help us secure the scientific knowledge we need to combat global warming.
Promoting American leadership in aeronautics by reversing funding cuts to NASA's and FAA's aeronautics R&D budget.

"I am a strong supporter of our space program. It reflects the best of the American spirit of optimism, discovery and progress. We need a balanced space and aeronautics program. We need to support solar system exploration as an important goal for our human and robotic programs, but only as one goal among several. And we need to invite other countries to share in a meaningful way in both the adventure and the cost of space exploration."

-There's tremendous amounts of research being done at NASA right now, particularly in the area of carbonless burns, carbonless combustion. And it's amazing what is possible today in America. When you think about NASA being dedicated to creating green technologies, where we can call forth a world that we barely understand exists, but knowing the inventive genius that characterizes America throughout our history, we can move towards sustainability using the inventive genius of NASA, where they can create these products in the alpha stage and even license them in the beta stage to help prime the pump of our economy and move quickly, create millions of new jobs.

-Whether we ought to go to Mars is not a decision that I would want to make, but I would certainly want to make sure that we expand the space program, because every one of us who are sitting here tonight have our lives dramatically improved because there was a space program — whether it's these screens that we see or the incredible electronics that we use, including the GPS systems that got many of you to this arena tonight.

-"China's actions and continued efforts to advance its technological capabilities require that all Department of Defense programs intended to preserve America's space assets be reviewed for adequacy. Further, new programs to strengthen the protection, redundancy and reconstitution of U.S. space assets must be made essential. It is critical that we take these steps now to ensure our forces cannot be targeted through an adversarial space strike."

"Q: Should taxpayers continue to fund NASA, or should it move to the private sector?" "A: They should continue to fund these programs. When we opened up our frontiers, the Lewis & Clark Expedition and so forth, those were not privately funded matters. Our Founders considered exploring this great continent to be one of the important functions of government. And we should as a community sustain our commitment to develop the great frontier [of space] for the sake of humanity, not just for our own sake."

"Space exploration has a spiritual component which we may be losing sight of. As a people we need continually to have before us the truth that our potential is best realized when we are challenging ourselves to reach for those things that transcend our everyday needs and desires and passions and commit us to the kind of endeavors that have importance not only for us, but for future generations. I think space exploration is one of those and I would support it strongly."

"Their success should also be read as a cautionary tale for all of us in government. If only the United States had a taxation policy that limited government and thereby freed up more private capital, there is no telling how many more like Burt Rutan, Paul Allen, and Michael Melvill would be able to do great things to the benefit all of mankind. This not just in space exploration, but in medical research, alternative energy research, and any number of the problems that continue to perplex mankind. Private enterprise depends on results and success and therefore private capital is always targeted much more wisely than is monies confiscated by governments."

Complete the modernization of the U.S. Air Force to ensure continued tactical air dominance over all potential adversaries and the ability to project power globally.
Ensure tactical and strategic air/space superiority over every battlefield and the U.S.
Develop robust Missile Defenses to protect the homeland, deployed forces, and allies against ballistic missiles of all ranges in all phases of flight.
Field a layered, multi-tiered missile defense architecture that includes land-, sea-, and space-based components.
Support the development and testing of advanced missile defense technologies to address the complexity of foreign ballistic missile inventories.
Promote international collaboration in all missile defense efforts, to include cooperation in joint development and production with friends and allies.