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Efrem Lukatsky / AP file
Newt Gingrich says Mitt Romney's space plan doesn't go far enough.
BELOIT, Wis. – One-time presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, who promised during the GOP primary to create a U.S. moon colony if elected, criticized Mitt Romney’s plan for space exploration as not being “robust” enough.
“The Romney plan for space starts to move in the right direction but could be much more robust,” the former House speaker told NBC News a day after the Republican presidential nominee unveiled his “Securing U.S. Leadership in Space” plan. “We could move into space much, much faster than we are. Romney is better than [President] Obama on space but could be bolder and more visionary.”
Saturday, Romney’s running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, laid out the campaign’s plan during a townhall meeting in Orlando, Fla., and accused President Barack Obama of “dismantling” America’s space program.
"We are near the Space Coast, I think it’s important that we have a space program that has a clear space mission, a space program that we know where we are heading in the future, and a space program that is the unequivocal leader on the planet in space travel and space research,” Ryan said at the University of Central Florida. “We don’t have that right now.”
The Wisconsin congressman continued: “Mitt Romney and I believe that America must lead in space. Mitt Romney and I believe we need a mission for NASA, a mission for a space program, and we also believe that this is an integral part of our national security.”
During the long Republican primary season, Gingrich regularly spoke about fixing the space program after the cancellation of American space shuttles.
Speaking in Cocoa, Fla., at the end of January, Gingrich vowed the United States would “have the first permanent base on the moon” and by the end of 2020 the country would have "the first continuous propulsion system in space" capable of allowing people travel to Mars.
Romney, whom Gingrich later endorsed for president after suspending his campaign in May, mocked the former House speaker for proposing a lunar colony during one of the several GOP debates earlier in the year.
"I spent 25 years in business. If I had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, I'd say, 'You're fired,'" Romney said at the debate in Jacksonville, Fla., co-hosted by CNN, the Republican Party of Florida and the Hispanic Leadership Network. "The idea that corporate America wants to go off to the moon and build a colony there, it may be a big idea, but it's not a good idea."
Under a President Romney administration, there would be four space priorities: focusing NASA, partnering internationally, strengthening security, and revitalizing industry.
The steps put forward by the Romney-Ryan ticket do not go far enough in Gingrich’s eyes.
“I was with Richard Branson in Yalta last week and his commitment to a dynamic private secure entrepreneurial model that works with innovators and risk-takers to put people into space inexpensively (compared to government rates) is a big example of the future,” Gingrich said in an email Sunday.
Branson, the entrepreneur and CEO of Virgin Airlines, is launching Branson's Virgin Galactic which will offer commercial space flights as the government closes down it’s space shuttle operations.
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Last time I looked in California, there are still a whole lot of undeveloped land. Republicans all over the country are belly aching about the high speed train Obama administration proposal to transport Americans here on earth. Colony on the moon? That sounds like the Afghan police officer strung out on hashish manning security check point. GOP never fails to amaze. In-fact would seem to me that they are trying to outdo the other. This GOP condition deserves a place in the Guinness Book of World Record if any one can find a class for it.
Newt, ur done. See u in 2016.
Romney/Ryan reveal their plans for the "USA Moon" but refuse to share their plans for "USA Earth" . That's pretty wacky and wow!!!
Hey Newt maybe you haven't noticed or refuse too "No One" in America cares what you have too say..
Besides everyone knows just how lame RobMe/Lyan are.....
Again, all you Obama supporters can come up with is finger pointing and hate. Not surprised. Not a single comment on here about Obama's space plans. Why? Because none of you actually know anything about Obama. You're all just gullible media worshipers.
Just putting it back in your face, now go listen to Rush so you can determine what hate is. Oh thats right, Rush is god.
Travisaurus
Liberals are 100% in DENIAL, when it comes to FACTS, TRUTH or PROOF about Obama! They know absolutely nothing about Obama to act even half way intelligent. They ONLY listen to the propaganda from the liberal rag medias to get what those stations have to say. Then they come on the blogs and can't remember and still comment ignorant nonsense about the Republicans or anyone not feeling the same way. Liberalism is a DISEASE. It is covered by Obama care, but in the near future it will be very costly to cure Liberalism! Run to your doctor before the election in November. Don't wait, as doctors are booking up appointments fast.
Newt Gingrich -- to infinity and beyond!
(And the sooner the better.)
Lets say the we go to the moon, plant a base, and place a colony there. I heard Newt once talking about terraform and how it could be done on another planet. We could make the air breathable and have a colony on a planet for years making it safe for habitation...
wait.........that sounds like the movie "Aliens". We all know how that ended.
I want nothing to do with this plan......
@Alex Moe (author):
Please ask your elementary school teacher what's difference between it's and its
Anyone see what Obama did to our space program????????????????? ...you can't make this sh it up!!
Manned space travel is ridiculously expensive, and dangerous. it.s time has passed with robotics and probes we can learn much more with less cost in dollars and lives
My answer is a quote from a TV show...and I realize that one will argue that diminishes the argument, but I think it does answer the question...
"Starfleet could have sent a probe out here, but instead, they sent us, to explore, with our own eyes..."
We have, truly amazing technologies, and yes, probes tell us a lot. But just as I will never "truly" appreciate the Grand Canyon, without physically being there, no matter what definition video or 3-D I view "digital image" of it. Nor will I truly appreciate Mars, nor Europa, nor any other destination...even those places on Earth that now, only robots can explore. Exploration HAS to be more than just knowledge...otherwise...it's merely numbers that only computers will appreciate. And unless your goal is our transformation into mere computers...we must always consider...the flavor, the taste, the emotion, of exploration.
I saw the Grand Canyon once, spent about two minutes.I saw a big ditch, I was not impressed. I wasted no film or time there.
How about we clean up own backyards before we spend more on space.
This is the only time I have ever agreed with Newt. I also think we should be putting more research into the space race. It would jump-start the economy, get kids excited about technology, and frankly, give our country something to get behind.
For those who think we can't afford it? Well, we will never be able to afford it if we don't start. The country who discovers a viable form of alternative energy, the country who actually gets back into space first will be the dominate force for the next several hundred years. I don't want to see us go the way of the British Empire, sitting on our butts letting others get out there first.
I was born in 1951. I remember the excitement the space race put into our country. I remember the boost it gave to our country. I remember the advances we saw in tech over the years and know the good everyday things we developed because of the space race. I want to see us excel again and we can do it.
Another President, another Change...same President...not enough support.
The same old story that it's been since Apollo.
Let me correct that...same old story since Gemini...
The public has no idea what benefits the NASA moon shots gave our country, and we are dreadfully uninformed. Please remember that NASA funds contractors, who provide American jobs. We would not have cell phones, stealth technology, modern television, advances in materials sciences, engineering, aeronautics, communications,aeronautics, avionics, electronics, computer science, satellite systems (key to our communications and combat theater software) and missile systems if we had not funded NASA to the moon.
The problem is this: Romney's contributing friends are different contractors than Newt's contributing friends, and less likely to help the economy. Defense contractors employ very few people, cost a LOT, and and end up providing systems so expensive that we are forced to under-equip our troops--our ships being examples. All the Navy guys will tell you we need multiple Aegis systems on our boats--the one passed to each ship can not handle a full scale attack. But Romney's friends built 'em, billed 'em and went on, lurking for more sales.
Maybe we should start a website for Newt. It would be called "NEWTkindlySTFUfortherestoftheyear.com"
I think he watched Transformers "Dark side of the Moon" to many times
I'm all for space exploration, but it seems that now is simply the time to batten down the hatches and refocus the United States on the education of our youth and in the pursuit of economic health. Our nation needs a major course correction in our priorities. Spending billions of dollars in wars and other misguided efforts is a shortsighted waste of lives and resources. The hopeful future that my generation had as teenagers and twenty somethings is all but gone (I'm 40) and is one that I cannot imagine now for my own children without a harsh reality check. The nation (and world) is no longer healthy. We need a renewed commitment to take responsibility for ourselves and future generations by spending less, booting the lobbyists and special interest groups, and then simply rolling up our sleeves by working harder to fix what's broken.
Romney and Ryan don't know crap about space. "Find a mission for NASA" - sounds like an expensive govt funded lets throw money at something mission. There's a need or there isn't, shouldn't have to go making one up.
Funny isn't it that there is also an article on Florida wanting a land grab of federal govt land to build a launch facility - I'm sure with federal dollars, tax payer funded, contracted out to rebulicans to build - sounds like job welfare to me. And to top it off it will destroy thousands of acres of wildlife habitat. Hypocritical greedy Republican written all over this.
Funny too that there is another article, all on the same day!, about the commercial spaceport already existing in New Mexico and they are wondering if anyone will even use it! (Also tax payer funded)
Stop the insanity!
Let's see..we have an annual $1T deficit..so the R&R plan is to increase Defense spending by $50B a year, cut taxes 20% across the board (which if funded by eliminating deductions will give the 0.5% a HUGE tax cur while everyone else will see their taxes increase) and increase the Space Budget....THEN they'll start balancing the budget and taking care of those pesky deficits (created by Republicans in the first place)...these guys are something else! Just remember...47% of you are worthless, have your hand out and will never amount to anything (forgetting for the moment that 4,000 of that 47% are millionaires).
if you people actually read more than just the headline, the article talks about how it is STILL a better plan than Obamas... media being the media
The GOP can't go 10 minutes without complaining about spending. Where are we going to get the cash for this? Obama did the responsible thing not just throwing money at it when there was no defined mission.
Not since his contract on Amreica and his pledge to make Obama a one term president has Newt been so mendacious.
In other news: newty keeps a martian sex slave in his basement.
Romney/Ryan: 'Obama is dismantling US space capabilities' and 'NASA needs a mission'. OK, what mission do you propose? This is such political pandering. The decision to cancel the shuttle was decided by the Bush administration with full knowledge that a gap in launch capability - of several years - would occur; couple that with a reluctant congress (both democrats and republicans) to fully fund Orion development and we are where we are - a transition period between programs. Romney/Ryan supporting of commercial space and international partnerships is exactly what Obama has been pushing for (and succeeding on several fronts). I think a destination and mission focus would be helpful for various reasons, but stop pandering to jobs lost in Florida due the end of shuttle AND actually spell-out what you think NASA's mission should be MR. Policy Wonk!
Nut case Newt still wants a colony on the moon.