The Aerospace Corporation Center for Space Policy & Strategy
Comparison: Obama & McCain on Space Issues
Summary & Discussion
Both candidates express support and promise robust funding for civil space programs. Both speak of shortening the gap in human spaceflight capability after the termination of shuttle flights, but neither offer much in the way of programmatic or budgetary details on how they would accomplish this. McCain appears inclined to continue the Constellation exploration effort on its present course and keep the balance of programs at NASA as they are today. Obama supports a return to the Moon by 2020, but wants to revisit NASA’s top-level goals and objectives. He has proposed reinstating the National Aeronautics & Space Council in the Executive Office of the President to improve interagency coordination and national goal-setting. Regarding national security space, Obama opposes weapons in space but recognizes the pressing need for protection measures and space situational awareness. He favors negotiations on “rules of the road.” McCain has not addressed national security space. The candidates each have recognized the value of commercial space, particularly in terms of spinoffs and general benefits to the economy. Obama has endorsed public/private partnerships, prize competitions, NASA’s COTS program, commercial use of the space station, and revision of ITAR. Obama was the first to address space and has said more about it. However, he may have derived little benefit from this. o His earliest and best remembered comment on space issues came in November 2007 when he suggested delaying NASA’s Constellation program by five years to free up funding for education programs – a position he has since reconsidered. o Obama released a space policy statement January, seven months before McCain took a similar step, but for unknown reasons never posted it on his website. As a result, many followers of space issues don’t realize he has made such a statement. Obama issued a revised and expanded Space Fact Sheet on August 16, four days after McCain’s space statement (see comparison table below). This may have resulted, at least in part, from a recognition by the Obama campaign that its January statement had gotten lost in the noise, so a response to McCain was necessary. o Obama recently made a campaign sweep through Florida’s Space Coast. McCain has not yet campaigned in this area, and it is not on his schedule. It remains to be seen whether this will help Obama with Florida voters. McCain issued his space policy statement on August 12. It begins with eight paragraphs of reminiscences on 50 years of space history and some points on where we are today (reproduced below). The actual policy points are in bullet form at the end of his statement (see comparison table below). o Despite being a late arrival and thin on substance, the statement appears to have attracted some attention, probably because, unlike Obama’s, it is posted on his website and was released closer to the party convention, a time when people are thinking about finalizing the platform. It’s too early to tell whether Obama’s more substantial August 16 statement will steal any of McCain’s thunder.
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o McCain made two other space-related statements. The first was on July 29 in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the legislation that created NASA. (Obama issued a similar statement the same day.) The second was an August 2 release criticizing Obama’s comments in Titusville, FL that day. It said nothing about McCain’s position on space. Obama has had no direct involvement in space issues in the Senate. McCain, with many more years in the Senate, has a mixed record on space. o As a member and former chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, he has participated in NASA authorization, sometimes acting favorably to the space agency, sometimes viewing it as a bill-payer for other priorities. o McCain has promised to cut taxes, freeze domestic spending, and balance the budget in four years. In the past, he has expressed some hostility toward major aerospace contractors, such as with Boeing over Air Force tanker aircraft. Also, he has said that as president, he would veto any appropriations bill that contained earmarks. This combination of factors has caused some in the aerospace community to question the likelihood of robust funding support for civil and national security space if he is to follow through on his promises of fiscal restraint.
Obama & McCain position statements on space
Obama released a two-page space policy statement on January 10 (reproduced under public statements below) that was never posted to his website. His campaign replaced this with a seven-page statement on August 16. The table below compares the essential elements of Obama’s revised statement with the policy points in McCain’s August 12 space statement. Issue
Space Leadership
Obama (8-16-08)
United States should maintain its international leadership in space while at the same time inspiring a new generation of Americans to dream beyond the horizon. NASA not only will inspire the world with both human and robotic space exploration, but also will again lead in confronting the challenges we face here on Earth. Re-establish [the National Aeronautics & Space Council] reporting to the president. It will oversee and coordinate civilian, military, commercial, and national security space activities. Increase interagency sharing of expertise and technologies, including research and technical information. Improve interagency coordination of acquisition programs.
McCain (8-12-08)
Ensure that space exploration is top priority and that the U.S. remains a leader.
Interagency Cooperation
Not mentioned.
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International Cooperation
Constellation Program & Human Space Exploration
Space Station
Space Industrial Base
Continue and intensify effort to work with international allies on space exploration and climate change research. Use space as a strategic tool to strengthen relations with allies, reduce future conflicts, and engage members of the developing world. Make the necessary investments to ensure we close the gap as much as is technically feasible and to minimize reliance on foreign space capabilities. Work with the space industry to ensure retention of workforce and technical capabilities during the transition from the shuttle to its successor. Retain option for additional shuttle flights. Speed up next-generation vehicle. Stimulate private-sector efforts. Work with international partners. Endorses the goal of sending human missions to the Moon by 2020, as a precursor in an orderly progression to missions to more distant destinations, including Mars. Ensure that NASA and other federal agencies are fully utilizing the ISS to conduct research that can help address global challenges, provide economic benefits to Earth, and support long-term human exploration. Retain options for operations beyond 2016. Expand the American skill base in science and engineering. Review ITAR to reevaluate restrictions imposed on American companies, with a special focus on space hardware. Supports a robust program of robotic exploration on the major cross-cutting themes and recommended new missions established by the decadal survey of the National Research Council. Given the urgency of climate-related monitoring... the Obama administration will lean forward to deploy a global climate change research and monitoring system that will work for decades to come. The recommendations in the recent National Research Council decadal survey on Earth observations from space will guide priorities.
Not mentioned.
Commit to funding the NASA Constellation program to ensure it has the resources it needs to begin a new era of human space exploration. Review and explore all options to ensure U.S. access to space by minimizing the gap between the termination of the Space Shuttle and the availability of its replacement vehicle.
Complete construction of the ISS National Laboratory. Seek to maximize the research capability and commercialization possibilities of the ISS National Laboratory. Ensure the national space workforce is maintained and fully utilized. Seek to maintain the nation's space infrastructure. Prevent wasteful earmarks from diverting precious resources from critical scientific research. Maintain infrastructure investments in Earthmonitoring satellites and support systems.
Space Science
Earth Science & Climate Change
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Applications Research
Space Security
Offensive Space Systems S&T Education
Aeronautics
Renew NASA’s commitment to innovationdriving basic research. Encourage public/private space technology partnerships to spur innovation in space and aeronautics. Establish multi-agency programs that focus on rapid maturation of advanced concepts and transfer to industry. Expand the use of prizes for revolutionary technical achievements and funds for joint industry/government rapid-to-consumer technology advances. Establish new processes and procurement goals to promote the use of government facilities. Develop an international approach to minimizing space debris. Enhance capabilities for space situational awareness. Protect our assets in space by pursuing new technologies and capabilities that allow us to avoid attacks and recover from them quickly. The Operationally Responsive Space program... is a way to invest in this capability. Work with other nations to develop "rules of the road" for space to ensure all nations have a common understanding of acceptable behavior. Oppose the stationing of weapons in space and the development of anti-satellite weapons. Establish educational (K-12) access to government programs. Support non-traditional approaches, such as design competitions and Internet collaborations to engage students. Support university programs that partner NASA, DOT, DOD and NOAA with academia to provide hands-on training experiences at the college level. Encourage public officials to have two-way dialogs with the public to discuss the national agenda for space. Pursue more long-term fundamental research to reduce the risk associated with advancing the state of the art. Support research to address aviation safety, air traffic control, and noise reduction. Support research to dramatically improve the fuel efficiency of military and civilian aircraft.
Prevent wasteful earmarks from diverting precious resources from critical scientific research.
Maintain infrastructure investments in Earthmonitoring satellites and support systems.
Not mentioned. Not mentioned.
Ensure adequate investments in aeronautics research.
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Public Statements
Obama
Full text of the 8-16-08 space policy statement can be found at: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=28880 Space-related remarks from a speech in Titusville, FL (8-2-08): One of the areas where we are in danger of losing our competitive edge is our space program. When I was growing up, NASA inspired the world with achievements we are still proud of. Today, we have an administration that has set ambitious goals for NASA without giving NASA the support it needs to reach them. As a result, they've had to cut back on research, and trim their programs, which means that after the Space Shuttle shuts down in 2010, we're going to have to rely on Russian spacecraft to keep us in orbit. We cannot cede our leadership in space. That's why I will help close the gap and ensure that our space program doesn't suffer when the Shuttle goes out of service by working with Senator Bill Nelson to add at least one additional Space Shuttle flight beyond 2010; by supporting continued funding for NASA; by speeding the development of the Shuttle's successor; and by making sure that all those who work in the space industry in Florida do not lose their jobs when the Shuttle is retired - because we cannot afford to lose their expertise. More broadly, we need a real vision for space exploration. To help formulate this vision, I'll reestablish the National Aeronautics and Space Council so that we can develop a plan to explore the solar system - a plan that involves both human and robotic missions, and enlists both international partners and the private sector. And as America leads the world to long-term exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond, let's also tap NASA's ingenuity to build the airplanes of tomorrow and to study our own planet so we can combat global climate change. Under my watch, NASA will inspire the world, make America stronger, and help grow the economy here in Florida.
th Statement on the 50 anniversary of the legislation that created NASA (7-29-08): Fifty years ago, President Eisenhower officially created the NASA space program, capturing the imagination of generations and inspiring Americans to think bigger, aim higher and believe in a greater tomorrow. When I was young, the astronauts would come to Hawaii after landing in the Pacific Ocean. I remember the incredible inspiration I felt from knowing that these men had gone where few had gone before them.
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. Florida Today report “Obama promises to strengthen NASA” (5-22-08): U.S. Sen. Barack Obama promised to work with NASA officials to develop a focused mission for the future of the space program. "I want us to understand what it is we want to accomplish, so we can continue to build this program," the Democratic presidential candidate said, as he spoke during a "town hall-style" meeting Wednesday [May 21] in Kissimmee. "Other countries are in position to leapfrog us if we don't continue to make this investment." ...
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Obama said he would fund a strengthened space program, including the Orion program, which is designed to return Americans to the moon and later get them to Mars. Obama said he wanted to revive the energy the country had for the space program during the Mercury and Apollo programs. The Mercury program launched the first Americans into space, and the Apollo program landed Americans on the moon. "Now, even though lots of good work is being done with the shuttle program, I don't think people have as deep of a commitment to the space program," he said.
Q&A session at Columbus (Indiana) East High School (4-11-08) Q: What do you plan to do with the space agency? Like right now they're currently underfunded, they, at first they didn't know if they were going to be able to operate Spirit rover. What do plan to do with it? Obama: I grew up with the space program. Most of you young people here were born during the shuttle era. I was the Apollo era. I remember watching the moon landing. I was living in Hawaii when I was growing up, so the astronauts would actually land in the Pacific and then get brought into Honolulu and it was incredible memories and incredibly inspiring. And by the way inspired a whole generation of people to get engaged in math and science in a way that we haven't - that we need to renew. So I'm a big supporter of the space program. I think it needs to be redefined, though. 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 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. And that's a major debate I'm going to want to convene when I'm president of the United States. 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.
Obama space policy statement, January 10, 2008 Over the decades, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has embodied the adventurous spirit that lifted this nation to greatness and inspired people around the world. Barack Obama believes that the United States needs a strong space program to help maintain its superiority not only in space, but also here on earth in the realms of education, technology, and national security. Over the years, NASA technology has been applied to improve everything from computers and medical technology to baby formula and automobiles. Work done at NASA, whether here on earth or in outer space, impacts the daily lives of all Americans. Develop the Next-Generation of Space Vehicles: The retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2010 will leave the United States without manned spaceflight capability until the introduction of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) carried by the Ares I Launch Vehicle. As president, Obama will support the development of this vital new platform to ensure that the United States' reliance on foreign space capabilities is limited to the minimum possible time period. The CEV will be the backbone of future missions, and is being designed with technology that is already proven and available. Complete the International Space Station: The International Space Station is an example of what we can accomplish through international cooperation. Barack Obama is committed to the completion of the International Space Station. Continue Unmanned Missions: Robotic missions provide a level of endurance and cost-effectiveness that is unsurpassed. The Voyager probes, launched in the 1970s, are still sending back data beyond our solar system. Closer to home, the Spirit and Opportunity rovers have been exploring the surface of Mars for more than 1,300 days, 14 times longer than their intended mission length. Along with Earth-orbiting platforms like the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, unmanned missions
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have yielded some of the greatest scientific discoveries of the last century. Barack Obama is committed to a bold array of robotic missions that will expand our knowledge of the solar system and lay the foundations for further manned exploration. Monitor the Forces and Effects of Climate Change: Barack Obama has proposed bold initiatives to put America on the path to stop global climate change. His administration will set standards based on rigorous scientific inquiry that, in turn, cannot take place without a capable space program. The task of researching and understanding the forces that affect our home planet will require a constellation of climate monitoring space platforms. As president, Obama will ensure that NASA has the funding necessary to play its part in the fight against global climate change. Support Scientific Research: In the past, government funding for scientific research has yielded innovations that have improved the landscape of American life, technologies like the Internet, digital photography, bar codes, Global Positioning System technology, laser surgery, and chemotherapy. Today, we face a new set of challenges, yet the United States is losing its scientific dominance. Over the last three decades, federal funding for the physical, mathematical and engineering sciences has declined at a time when other countries are substantially increasing their own research budgets. Barack Obama believes federally funded scientific research should play an important role in advancing science and technology in the classroom and in the lab. He will work to diversify the makeup of the scientific community and provide federal research programs a much- needed infusion of funds. Maintain Surveillance to Strengthen National Security: Orbiting surveillance satellites provide a vital way to ensure compliance with non-proliferation treaties and monitor emerging threats. For example, nuclear facility construction in North Korea and Iran can be closely monitored from above without the challenges faced by weapons inspectors on the ground. Satellites can be further used in the effort to secure loose nuclear weapons and materials around the world, an effort which Barack Obama has promoted aggressively in the U.S. Senate. Keep Weapons out of Space: China's successful test of an anti-satellite missile in January 2007 signaled a potential new arms race in space. Barack Obama does not support the stationing of any weapons in space. He believes the international community must address the issue of space weaponization head-on and enter into a serious dialogue with Russia, China and other nations to stop this slow slide into a new battlefield. Strengthen Math and Science Education: Fifty years after Sputnik, science and math education in American schools is facing a crisis. As the Gathering Storm report concluded, "danger exists that Americans may not know enough about science, technology or mathematics to contribute significantly to, or fully benefit from, the knowledge-based economy that is already taking shape around us." Barack Obama will make math and science education a national priority, and provide our schools with the tools to educate 21st-Century learners. Recruit High-Quality Math and Science Teachers: Barack Obama's will establish a Teaching Service Scholarship program to recruit an army of new teachers. These scholarships will prioritize recruiting math, science and technology degree graduates. Obama will create Teacher Residency Programs to train teachers using mentorship, graduate study and hands-on training to develop 30,000 teachers a year, providing additional teachers in math and science. In addition, Obama will devote $100 million a year to Professional Development Schools to help new teachers, or veteran teacher needing to hone their skills, learn from professionals in the field. Professional Development Schools will partner universities with school sites that exhibit state-of-the-art practices and train new teachers in the classrooms of expert teachers while they are completing coursework. Enhanced Science Instruction: Barack Obama will work with governors to create flexible and workable systems for the states to achieve the goal of ensuring all children have access to strong a science curriculum at all grade levels. Obama will also support state efforts to make science education a priority at the pre-K level. Improve and Prioritize Science Assessments: Science assessments need to do more than test facts and concepts. They need to use a range of measures to test inquiry and higher-order thinking skills including inference, logic, data analysis and interpretation, forming questions, and
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communication. Barack Obama will work with governors and educators to ensure that state assessments measure these skills.
McCain
Additional language from the 8-12-08 position statement: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/7366faf9-d504-4abc-a889-9c08d601d8ee.htm “Let us now embark upon this great journey into the stars to find whatever may await us.” For the past 50 years, space activities have contributed greatly to US scientific discovery, national security, economic development, and national innovation, pride and power (the ultimate example of which was the U.S. victory over the Soviets in the race to the moon). Spurred on by the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the world's first satellite, and the concern that the U.S was falling behind in science and technology, U.S. policymakers enacted several policy actions to firmly establish the U.S. dominance in science and technology. Among them were the establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the national Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), increased research funding, and a reformulation of the nation's science and technology education system. Today, more than 50 years after Sputnik, the US faces a very different world. The end of the Cold War and the space race has greatly reduced the profile of space exploration as a point of national pride and an emblem of U.S. power and thus created some degree of "mission-rut" for NASA. At the same time, the scientific community views the use of space as an important observation platform for advancing science by increasing our understanding of the solar system and the universe. In addition, our recent comprehension of the Earth's changing climate is based on data that we have received from our weather and Earth observation satellites. Much of our communications infrastructure is dependent upon space based assets that are essential to the quality of our everyday lives and the economy. China, Russia, India, Japan and Europe are all active players in space exploration. Both Japan and China launched robotic lunar orbiters in 2007. India is planning to launch a lunar orbiter later this year. The European Space Agency (ESA) is looking into a moon-lander, but is more focused on Mars. China also is actively pursuing a manned space program and, in 2003, became only the third country after the USSR and the US to demonstrate the capability to send man to space. China is developing plans for a manned lunar mission in the next decade and the establishment of a lunar base after 2020. Activity within the commercial sector continues to increase beyond the traditional role of launching satellites. In 2007, the X-Prize Foundation announced a prize of $30 million in a global competition to build the first robotic rover capable of landing on the Moon. Several companies are planning to develop and build spacecraft for space tourism. Senator McCain understands the importance of investments in key industries such as space to the future of our national security, environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness, and national pride as a technological leader. Although the general view in the research community is that human exploration is not an efficient way to increase scientific discoveries given the expense and logistical limitations, the role of manned space flight goes well beyond the issue of scientific discovery and is reflection of national power and pride. History provides some guide to this. In 1971, when the Nixon Administration was looking at canceling the Apollo program and not approving the development of the Space Shuttle - then Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Casper Weinberger stated that such a policy: "would be confirming in some respects a belief that I fear is gaining credence at home and abroad: That our best years are behind us, that we are turning inward, reducing our defense commitments, and voluntarily starting to give up our super-power status and our desire to maintain world superiority." Three and a half decades later this seems equally valid, if not more so given the increased number of countries that are making significant investments in space. John McCain has been involved in a number of efforts to improve America's scientific prowess within the space arena. As Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
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Senator McCain played a major role in legislation to provide funding for space exploration (manned and unmanned), space science, Earth science, and aeronautics research. He also sponsored legislation to support the up and coming commercial space industry, and led the Senate's efforts to implement improvements to NASA after the Columbia accident. Senator McCain has also spearheaded efforts to control costs at NASA and promote a space exploration agenda based on sound management, safe practices, and fiscal responsibility. Current U.S. space operations policy commits the U.S. to completing the International Space Station (ISS) by 2010 and then terminating the Space Shuttle flights, with the completion of the ISS. The NASA vision for space exploration calls for sending a robotic lunar lander to the Moon in 2008/2009 time period to begin searching for potential base sites and for development and deployment of a new manned space craft for lunar missions. The current policy also calls for new vehicles (referred to as the Orion crew vehicle and the Ares launch vehicle) to be ready for Earth orbit by 2015 and lunar landing by 2020 with an eventual mission to Mars. [For policy bullets, see comparison table above.] Statement on the 50 anniversary of the legislation that created NASA (7-29-08): Fifty years ago today, President Eisenhower signed the bill that launched the United States on the magnificent journey to space discovery and exploration. In doing so, he sent a powerful message to the world that the United States would harness its creativity, inventiveness and drive to lead all others into this most distant frontier. Since that time, Presidents of both parties have remained steadfast in guaranteeing U.S. leadership in space. Under current plans, the United States will retire the space shuttle in 2010 after its final mission to the International Space Station, and thus lose the capability to send on our own, an American, to space. While my opponent seems content to retreat from American exploration of space for a decade, I am not. As President, I will act to ensure our astronauts will continue to explore space, and not just by hitching a ride with someone else. I intend to make sure that the NASA Constellation program has the resources it needs so that we can begin a new era of human space exploration. A country that sent a man to the moon should expect no less.
th
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