Candidates discuss plans for space program

WESH2 ^ | 10/24/16 | Dan Billow

[LibWhacker]

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have released their plans for what they would do with the space program if they were elected.

WESH 2 News is comparing Trump and Clinton’s ideas on the key Central Florida issue of spaceflight.

Trump wants big changes for NASA, which his campaign said has become little more than a logistics agency supporting the space station.

Clinton, in plans recently released by campaign aides, wants a NASA with steady budgets that drive innovation on Earth.

Trump’s advisors said in a statement that “human exploration of our entire solar system by the end of this century should be NASA’s focus and goal.” That goes far beyond NASA’s plan to send people to Mars in the 2030s.

Clinton’s campaign, on the other hand, makes a carefully worded statement calling Mars a “consensus horizon goal.” The statement does not say if Clinton is part of the consensus.

Clinton’s plan keeps NASA part of the effort to “tackle the urgent threat of climate change,” aides said, while Trump’s campaign turns up its nose at what it calls “politically correct environmental monitoring.”

The new plans are something space backers have been waiting to hear.

“We know on the Space Coast that we need to maintain this cutting-edge for our future,” said Lorraine Koss of the Space Coast League of Women Voters.

Both candidates indicate spaceflight will undergo a substantial period of study once a new administration takes over. That can set back the space agency’s target dates a few years.

[ifinnegan]

Trump better.

[Jack Hammer]

If hillary wins, all bets are off.

Venezuela doesn’t have a space program - they don’t even have food.

America’s future?

[clearcarbon]

Clinton wants to fix NASA climate data the way she’s fixed the LMSM.

[FreedomStar3028]

There is really no reason to go to Mars. Little risk/reward involved, imho.

What we should be doing in space human wise is building space ports in orbit that can build drones, and human craft to capture asteroids and comet cores then bring those rocks to Earth orbit and mine and manufacture. This is much much more rewarding than trying to send a multi year mission to Mars where if anything goes wrong it’s over. We need to have faster and more efficient space travel. Heading to Mars ain’t gonna produce that.

[Grimmy]

The changes to the space program that I’d like to see would put some solid objects into orbit to accidentally crash into and destroy PDRChina’s and Russia’s space stuff.

[ETL]

Hillary will probably want to put these two geniuses on her science team.

Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
From Texas's 18th district

On a visit to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2005, Jackson Lee made embarrassing news by asking if the Mars Pathfinder had taken an image of the flag planted there in 1969 by Neil Armstrong.[2]

Prior to the 110th Congress, Jackson Lee served on the House Science Committee and on the Subcommittee that oversees space policy and NASA.

http://web.archive.org/web/20100409095818/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Jackson_Lee

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Must see YouTube video! (no joke, he was dead serious!)

March 2010:

Democrat Representative Hank Johnson fears Guam may tip over and "capsize" due to overpopulation!

Check out the reaction of the military official he was questioning!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZczIgVXjg

[FlingWingFlyer]

I’m all for the Secret Service shoving Clintoon’s ass into the back seat of a rocket and sending her into space.

[Fungi]

Superfluous blather. This has no consequence to anything. Correct response: abolish this agency and any other that continually adds to the national debt and increases your taxes.

[Doogle]

Clinton, in plans recently released by campaign aides....with heavy financial support from Mooslem Brotherhood will invest in flying duel purpose carpets...prayer and transport.

[vooch]

indeed - I fully expected Trump to present a plan promoting private space enterprise.

[Swirl]

I suggest Trump first clean out the top-down management at HQ and each of the centers. Remove the PC barriers. Move the Science research elsewhere. Boost the aeronautical and Space research that has reachable goals. Bring in new talent to the research staff. NASA should do the promising but high risk research that private industry are unwilling to do. In other words, make NASA great again. Parts of the FAA and NASA could be combined.

[MUDDOG]

Nothing on Muslim outreach, the stated mission of NASA under Obama.

As to post-Obama, I wonder if a spacecraft can even be built that protects humans from prolonged exposure to cosmic rays.

First build cyborgs. They’d be better space travelers than humans.

[delete306]

Trump’s advisors said in a statement that “human exploration of our entire solar system by the end of this century should be NASA’s focus and goal.” That goes far beyond NASA’s plan to send people to Mars in the 2030s.

I don't agree with this. NASA has been a waste of money since the I Dream of Jeanie years. It should be completely defunded and stripped down. Turn all of their assets over to the Air Force. If hucksters like Elon Musk want to fool people into believing that we'll mine moon rocks or go to Mars, fine. But the government needs to end wasteful spending.

[Swirl]

“I fully expected Trump to present a plan promoting private space enterprise.”

So we can watch rockets blow up before they are launched? Also, too risky and expensive for domestic private enterprise, and who would want it turned over to an international?

I think the current path followed Bush and Obama has led to a disintegration of NASA, and excessive expenses directed to politically favored contractors.

[Secret Agent Man]

Government is not your parent.

Government is not your husband.

Government is not your wallet.

Governmentmis not your buddy.

Government is not your personal referee or enforcer.

Trump needs to start working on a speech like this for after winning.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

So we can watch rockets blow up before they are launched? Also, too risky and expensive for domestic private enterprise,

Then there was the incredible Explodomatic Space Shuttle. Stupidest looking, most asymmetrical, ungainly thing I ever saw in my life.

There should have been a next-generation NASA replacement, but The Shuttle belongs in a museum.

[digger48]

Did you get that from her Wikileaks page?

[Swirl]

there have been next generation ships proposed and shelved

[ROCKLOBSTER]

First build cyborgs.

Damn "toasters".