Mitt Romney Releases Plans For NASA, Leaves Out Details
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has revealed part of his plan for NASA and American space exploration — and at the same time unleashing a massive attack on President Obama.
Romney released a policy paper on Saturday, along with running mate Paul Ryan, which pledges to secure the nation’s position as the global leader in space, which they believe has significantly eroded with the help of President Obama, reports Space.com. The paper reads:
“Over the past four years, the Obama Administration, through poor policy and outright negligence, has badly weakened one of the hallmarks of American leadership and ingenuity — our nation’s space program.”
The paper includes Ryan and Romney’s feelings regarding Obama’s decision to cancel the moon-oriented Constellation program, saying that the decision robbed NASA’s human spaceflight program of its main focus and direction. The authors add:
“Rebuilding NASA, restoring U.S. leadership, and creating new opportunities for space commerce will be hard work, but Mitt Romney will strive to rebuild an institution worthy of our aspirations and capable once again of leading the world toward new frontiers.”
NBC News notes that Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan promise to restore focus to NASA’s human space exploration program — even though they will likely pass on increasing the program’s funding, which currently stands at $17.7 billion per year. But the authors of the new policy paper address this issue too, saying:
“A strong and successful NASA does not require more funding, it needs clearer priorities. Romney will ensure that NASA has practical and sustainable missions. There will be a balance of pragmatic and top-priority science with inspirational and groundbreaking exploration programs.”
While the paper put out by Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan makes claims about their hopes and dreams for NASA and space exploration, it declines to give any details, instead saying that specifics will be drawn up later.
What do you think of Mitt Romney’s NASA plans?
