More than 50 years ago, President John F. Kennedy challenged the United States to land an American on the moon before the end of the decade. That challenge shaped the ensuing NASA missions and set a precedent for the role of presidential leadership in space exploration.
Today, as Americans evaluate the candidates for their next president, they also have the opportunity to evaluate the future of the US space program. A recent project coordinated by ScienceDebate.org posed 20 questions aboutscientific and space policy to the four major presidential candidates. Across the board, the candidates’ responses thus far have suggested their policies would support space exploration.
Until now, the candidates have been fairly closemouthed about their space policies, although experts say that their interests in the program likely reflect their broader platforms. The current state of flux, experts say, could provide an ideal opportunity for voters to make their own priorities known. – READ MORE
