Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich laid out a vision for space exploration that would be executed should he become president. He spoke at the Holiday Inn Express Space Coast Convention Center in Cocoa, Fla., according to Space.com.
After the 30-minute speech, Gingrich participated in a round table on space policy with aerospace experts at nearby Bervard Community College.
What does Gingrich want to do in space?
Gingrich promised that by the end of his second term as president, America would have a base on the moon. Furthermore, near-Earth space would be a hot-bed of commercial space activity. Finally, advanced propulsion technology would be developed to shorten the duration for a manned voyage to Mars.
How would Gingrich accomplish this?
Some of the details were lacking. Gingrich did repeat his often express proposal to reserve 10 percent of NASA's budget for space prize competitions in which private groups would vie to create new spacecraft, rocket engines, and other technology for cash rewards. These competitions would be similar to the Orteig Prize that aviator Charles Lindbergh won by crossing the Atlantic non-stop. More modern versions of space prizes include the Ansari X Prize, the Google Lunar X Prize, and NASA's own Centennial Challenge program. As an extreme example, Gingrich suggested a $10 billion prize for the first private group to land a person on Mars and return him or her to the Earth.
Gingrich also inveighed against NASA bureaucracy and its tendency to want to plan to do things rather than do things. He suggested that A Gingrich White House would relentlessly pressure NASA to do things "faster, better, cheaper." He also suggested that the Kennedy Space Center should be more like an airport, with multiple launches a day. The space prize competitions would help to fulfill this vision as would a greater emphasis in supporting commercial space.
Did Gingrich really suggest making the moon the 51st state?
Gingrich mentioned in passing a Northwest Ordinance, similar to the one that dealt with the territory that eventually became Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, for the moon. The moment 13,000 Americans live on a lunar colony, they could apply to become a state of the union.
Does the Gingrich plan have critics?
Aside from press stories ridiculing the plan, there are some serious criticisms. Paul Spudis suggested that a space prize regime, similar to those which would helped further aviation in the 1920s and 1930s, would not work as well for space. Hotair's Allahpundit wondered if the plan was really affordable in an era of huge public debt. John Logsdon, a space policy expert who has advised Democrats, also did not think the plan practical. Gingrich's main rival, Mitt Romney, had stated, even before the speech, that lunar colonies were "zany."
What is the Bottom Line?
There are some unanswered questions about the Gingrich plan. Is his plan to return to the moon to be undertaken as a space prize? Or will NASA, with 90 percent of its remaining budget, direct the effort, with a streamlined management structure, space prizes for critical technology, and partnerships with commercial entities? How much money does Gingrich proposal to spend on his vision?
Mark R. Whittington is the author of Children of Apollo and The Last Moonwalker . He has written on space subjects for a variety of periodicals, including The Houston Chronicle, The Washington Post, USA Today, the L.A. Times, and The Weekly Standard.
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