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.
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 / Obama (8-16-08) / McCain (8-12-08)Space Leadership / 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. / Ensure that space exploration is top priority and that the U.S. remains a leader.
Interagency Cooperation / Increase interagency sharing of expertise and technologies, including research and technical information.
Improve interagency coordination of acquisition programs. / Not mentioned.
International Cooperation / 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. / Not mentioned.
Constellation Program & Human Space Exploration / 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. / 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.
Space Station / 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. / Complete construction of the ISS National Laboratory.
Seek to maximize the research capability and commercialization possibilities of the ISS National Laboratory.
Space Industrial Base / 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. / Ensure the national space workforce is maintained and fully utilized.
Seek to maintain the nation's space infrastructure.
Space Science / 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. / Prevent wasteful earmarks from diverting precious resources from critical scientific research.
Earth Science & Climate Change / 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. / Maintain infrastructure investments in Earth-monitoring satellites and support systems.
Applications Research / Renew NASA’s commitment to innovation-driving 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. / Prevent wasteful earmarks from diverting precious resources from critical scientific research.
Space Security / 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. / Maintain infrastructure investments in Earth-monitoring satellites and support systems.
Offensive Space Systems / Oppose the stationing of weapons in space and the development of anti-satellite weapons. / Not mentioned.
S&T Education / 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. / Not mentioned.
Aeronautics / 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. / Ensure adequate investments in aeronautics research.
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.
Statement on the 50th 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."
...
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.