By Billy House/Media General News Service
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WASHINGTON - When Sen. Barack Obama visits the Space Coast today, he likely will be pressed for straight answers about his plan to help pay for early childhood education by delaying NASA's program to return astronauts to the moon and explore Mars.
"If I have the opportunity, I'm going to ask him where, exactly, does he now stand on this," said Robert Jordan, 50, of Titusville, an engineering process manager with NASA's shuttle program.
"Has he changed his position, or not?" asked Jordan, who says he and a lot of his colleagues at United Space Alliance - NASA's main shuttle support contractor - will attend today's event.
Obama may have come to Florida to tout his economic stimulus initiatives, but Jordan and others say the candidate's talk of delaying NASA's next generation of manned space vehicles will not hurt just the U.S. space program.
Obama's proposal, which would delay the Constellation program by at least 5 years to 2020 or later, could represent another major blow to the local economy, opponents say.
The Obama campaign on Friday declined to talk about whether the Democratic presidential hopeful still wants to delay Constellation development.
But Obama's "Plan for Lifetime Success Through Education" remained posted Friday on his campaign Web site - specifying that his $10 billion-a-year early education plan will be paid, in part, by "delaying the NASA Constellation program for five years."
Asked about that, Obama spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh would say only that the Illinois senator "is committed to a strong, robust space program."
"Senator Obama understands how important NASA's mission is to our country's scientific edge and to our economy and that is why he is committed to identifying a means to fully fund his education program while also ensuring NASA has a balanced and adequately funded mission," she said.
Nelson To Appear With Obama
Meanwhile, campaign aides to Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday were noting that the Arizona senator has voiced solid support for the Constellation program.
"While my opponent seems content to retreating from American exploration of space for a decade, I am not," McCain said in a comment on this week's 50th anniversary of NASA.
"As president, I will act to make ensure our astronauts will continue to explore space, and not just by hitching a ride with someone else," he said. "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."
There is speculation that Obama may be planning to unveil - perhaps today - a new "white paper" further spelling out his positions on NASA and future U.S. space programs.
A change in Obama's position on Constellation would certainly please one of the Democrats expected to appear today with Obama - Sen. Bill Nelson, a top congressional booster of NASA.
Nelson has pressed for the timetable to be accelerated for the Constellation program, seen as eventually returning astronauts to the moon, which will then serve as a staging area for Mars exploration.
But Friday, Nelson's office declined to discuss the extent to which Nelson has talked to Obama about the program, or what he has been told.
Nelson spokesman Bryan Gulley did note Obama's recognition of NASA's 50th anniversary, in which he said: "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."
Gulley said that Nelson and Obama "have spoken a number of times on various issues including the importance of the nation's space program, and Obama certainly understands the need for America to retain its position as world leader in science and technology."
Florida's other U.S. senator, Republican Mel Martinez, says Obama's plan to cut funding for Constellation "demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the importance of NASA."
"Florida's Space Coast is already facing tremendous challenges as the shuttle program comes to a close, and cutting funding for Constellation would do great harm to the project and the region," Martinez said. "It's critical that Constellation move forward as quickly as possible so we can shrink the pending gap in U.S. manned spaceflight."
Area's Largest Industry
Kennedy Space Center and NASA are the biggest employers and industry in Titusville and Brevard County. There are about 2,000 NASA civil servants employed at Kennedy, and about 12,000 contractors.
It is uncertain what impact a five-year delay of the program would have on those jobs.
Local officials have hoped that new work tied to Constellation's developmental stages could offset some 6,000 or more job losses expected with NASA's scheduled shutdown of the shuttle program in 2010.
Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast, said Friday that she and others there are "certainly interested" in hearing today from Obama on an issue that could have "major economic impact."
"We don't want to see a delay of the Constellation program," she said.
The U.S. aerospace industry also is worried.
Between 2010, when the shuttle fleet will be retired, and 2015, the United States will be forced to rely on Russia for access to the International Space Station, says J.P. Stevens, vice president of space systems for the Aerospace Industries Association.
Delaying the program will only increase that reliance on foreign space capabilities, and deter Americans from careers in space science at a time when space exploration could create enormous national security, economic and scientific benefits, Stevens said.
But it is engineering process manager Jordan who today might get the chance to ask Obama about the senator's proposal to delay the Constellation program.
That is because Jordan, who is also a member of the Brevard County School Board, was asked by the Obama campaign to help greet the senator during his visit. He does not know if the campaign realized he also worked as a NASA contractor.
"If I get the chance, I'll ask him about it and certainly admonish him not" to delay the program, Jordan said.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or bhouse@mediageneral.com
"If I have the opportunity, I'm going to ask him where, exactly, does he now stand on this," said Robert Jordan, 50, of Titusville, an engineering process manager with NASA's shuttle program.
"Has he changed his position, or not?" asked Jordan, who says he and a lot of his colleagues at United Space Alliance - NASA's main shuttle support contractor - will attend today's event.
Obama may have come to Florida to tout his economic stimulus initiatives, but Jordan and others say the candidate's talk of delaying NASA's next generation of manned space vehicles will not hurt just the U.S. space program.
Obama's proposal, which would delay the Constellation program by at least 5 years to 2020 or later, could represent another major blow to the local economy, opponents say.
The Obama campaign on Friday declined to talk about whether the Democratic presidential hopeful still wants to delay Constellation development.
But Obama's "Plan for Lifetime Success Through Education" remained posted Friday on his campaign Web site - specifying that his $10 billion-a-year early education plan will be paid, in part, by "delaying the NASA Constellation program for five years."
Asked about that, Obama spokeswoman Adrianne Marsh would say only that the Illinois senator "is committed to a strong, robust space program."
"Senator Obama understands how important NASA's mission is to our country's scientific edge and to our economy and that is why he is committed to identifying a means to fully fund his education program while also ensuring NASA has a balanced and adequately funded mission," she said.
Nelson To Appear With Obama
Meanwhile, campaign aides to Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Friday were noting that the Arizona senator has voiced solid support for the Constellation program.
"While my opponent seems content to retreating from American exploration of space for a decade, I am not," McCain said in a comment on this week's 50th anniversary of NASA.
"As president, I will act to make ensure our astronauts will continue to explore space, and not just by hitching a ride with someone else," he said. "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."
There is speculation that Obama may be planning to unveil - perhaps today - a new "white paper" further spelling out his positions on NASA and future U.S. space programs.
A change in Obama's position on Constellation would certainly please one of the Democrats expected to appear today with Obama - Sen. Bill Nelson, a top congressional booster of NASA.
Nelson has pressed for the timetable to be accelerated for the Constellation program, seen as eventually returning astronauts to the moon, which will then serve as a staging area for Mars exploration.
But Friday, Nelson's office declined to discuss the extent to which Nelson has talked to Obama about the program, or what he has been told.
Nelson spokesman Bryan Gulley did note Obama's recognition of NASA's 50th anniversary, in which he said: "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."
Gulley said that Nelson and Obama "have spoken a number of times on various issues including the importance of the nation's space program, and Obama certainly understands the need for America to retain its position as world leader in science and technology."
Florida's other U.S. senator, Republican Mel Martinez, says Obama's plan to cut funding for Constellation "demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding regarding the importance of NASA."
"Florida's Space Coast is already facing tremendous challenges as the shuttle program comes to a close, and cutting funding for Constellation would do great harm to the project and the region," Martinez said. "It's critical that Constellation move forward as quickly as possible so we can shrink the pending gap in U.S. manned spaceflight."
Area's Largest Industry
Kennedy Space Center and NASA are the biggest employers and industry in Titusville and Brevard County. There are about 2,000 NASA civil servants employed at Kennedy, and about 12,000 contractors.
It is uncertain what impact a five-year delay of the program would have on those jobs.
Local officials have hoped that new work tied to Constellation's developmental stages could offset some 6,000 or more job losses expected with NASA's scheduled shutdown of the shuttle program in 2010.
Lynda Weatherman, president and CEO of the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast, said Friday that she and others there are "certainly interested" in hearing today from Obama on an issue that could have "major economic impact."
"We don't want to see a delay of the Constellation program," she said.
The U.S. aerospace industry also is worried.
Between 2010, when the shuttle fleet will be retired, and 2015, the United States will be forced to rely on Russia for access to the International Space Station, says J.P. Stevens, vice president of space systems for the Aerospace Industries Association.
Delaying the program will only increase that reliance on foreign space capabilities, and deter Americans from careers in space science at a time when space exploration could create enormous national security, economic and scientific benefits, Stevens said.
But it is engineering process manager Jordan who today might get the chance to ask Obama about the senator's proposal to delay the Constellation program.
That is because Jordan, who is also a member of the Brevard County School Board, was asked by the Obama campaign to help greet the senator during his visit. He does not know if the campaign realized he also worked as a NASA contractor.
"If I get the chance, I'll ask him about it and certainly admonish him not" to delay the program, Jordan said.
Reporter Billy House can be reached at (202) 662-7673 or bhouse@mediageneral.com