Clark Lindsey points out the difference between the senator’s view of the space industry, and that of other industries. Somehow, I suspect that his views would be (or at least appear to be) more consistent if he were a Senator from some other state. But as is, the disparity is jarring.
[Wednesday morning update]
Here’s more on the latest nonsense from the senator, at the Orlando Sentinel, and Space Politics. Note the comments.
The latest mantra from the Ares defenders is apparently to pick up on Doug Stanley’s comment that the committee didn’t have enough time to properly evaluate it. The response to this, of course, is that if they didn’t, then Doug didn’t have enough time to select it, either, because he had about the same amount of time, if not much less. The Augustine panel worked this for most of the summer. ESAS only took sixty days.
[Bumped]
To quote a Red Dwarf line, “Well, I can’t say I’m shocked”…
~Jon
It’s predictable, if disappointing, that Shelby is playing the oldest game in politics: do anything to buy votes.
The real need is for someone who will stand up in the Senate and be just as vociferous for commercial space. Of course that’s gonna be hard, since we don’t have enough real commercial space around for someone to find that in their interest.
Or, Jeff Bezos could ‘buy’ a Senator for New Space in WA or TX. Probably a tough nut to crack as well, even if he were aware enough to care.
As far as I can tell, Jeff Bezos seems unconcerned with the whim’s of civil human spaceflight spending. Unlike Elon Musk, Jeff’s tossed his hat in the ring for B2C personal suborbital spaceflight.
Given the vociferous opposition to Augustine’s II commercial options, this suborbital test-a-little, fly-a-little-higher incremental evolution path might be affordable human spaceflight’s only hope to reach orbit.
I don’t know if there is a reliable way to detect what Shelby’s personal views might be. What does seem clear is that he is not a man of principle.