May 22, 2012, 2011 —– For Immediate Release

Contact: 
Andrew Gasser 
TEA Party in Space 
President, TEA Party in Space 
(850)866)-0155
andrew@teapartyinspace.org

(Hawthorne CA) — TEA Party in Space (TPIS), a non-partisan organization, congratulates the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and NASA for a beautiful night time launch and successful start to the COTS 2+ mission. The launch marks a promising beginning to this final, challenging demonstration mission for SpaceX.

And so it begins. As leaks of the FY 2013 NASA budget begin to trickle out the special intrests groups are beginning to worry. Here is a piece of analysis that actually frames the argument pretty well. While old space continues to chug along consuming a larger peice of the NASA pie, new space will get by with what it has. It is interesting to see how the author here thinks that the government is trying to slow down "new space".  Here is the pull quote:

Maggie Fox over at the National Journal came out with a piece entitled Report Scolds NASA's Dependence on Old Technology. It takes aim at the technologies that are being used in current projects and also talks about the future roadmap for technology demonstrations.  But didn't Frank Wolf slash the OCT budget?  And wasn't OTC ordered to take on 300 extra employees practically killing SIBRs?

Many people do not know it yet, but Houston has yet another problem: Quality Control or QC. The problem is not in Rocket City, the Space Coast, or even the shining city on the hill. No, the problem is Russia. Russia has had three failures of its venerable Soyuz launch system. One may have ended in a loss of crew (LOC) event. This time, the Russians found the error on the ground instead of in flight.

Willard Mitt Romney is ignorant when it comes to space policy and it was on display for all to see at Thursday night's debate.  There is no possible explanation we can offer as to why Mr. Romney commented and used the rhetoric he did, it just was incoherent.  Mr. Romney was all over the place on the space issue showing he really has no cogent thoughts about space exploration, settlement, and policy.  Watch this video of Mr. Romney addressing the space issue and then compare it to Mr. Gingrich.  I wish I had more from Mitt Romney on space but this is all that could be found.

No one, on the left or the right, cannot say that Newt Gingrich does not have a genuine passion for American space flight. Newt is one of those people who just has a genuine passion and love for space. More importantly, he has "begun" to lay out a vision for what he thinks is the vision for this decade should be. If you have not heard his speech on NASA and American space exploration and settlement, you may watch it here.

There is serious confusion on the political right about what is happening with our nation's space program.  Mr. Cal Thomas, who I have the utmost respect for, authored a piece entitled China's JFK Moment which you can read here.  I would like to engage Mr. Thomas, not with attacks and hyperbole, but with conservative values and data which certain republicans in congress refuse to acknowledge.  It is a truth many conservative republicans do not wish to hear for it makes them think about what they are supporting, and if we are intellectually honest, they will realize what looks like a conservative policy on the outside is nothing more that socialist policies wrapped in conservatism.