Still, it's worth noting that NASA's relationship with the Grand Old Party has always been a somewhat contentious one. Sure, there's no greater demonstration of American exceptionalism than the parade of space-based firsts that the agency has racked up. It has been at the forefront of exploring our solar system, unlocking the mysteries of the universe and generally building things that would have sounded like science fiction just a few years ago. But, it's also an easy program to target for budget cuts. Many of NASA's missions don't have an immediate impact on the lives of everyday Americans, except for maybe a sense of pride and patriotism.

The agency has also frequently butted heads with Republican lawmakers over its Earth-based research programs. Especially those that support the concept of man-made climate change. Knowing that, it's hard not to take notice of the fact while the party platform does call for "launching more scientific missions," it limits that call explicitly to space-based ones.

There is not a single mention of research into our planet.

However, this is still a change of tone from the one established early in the campaign by the presumptive nominee Donald Trump who said that NASA was "great" but that "right now, we have bigger problems."