https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdvAVSNRni4

Finally, Obama is talking positively about human spaceflight.

In a speech in Titusville, Florida, just outside of the Kennedy Space Center, Obama said he has told his staff to find another offset to fund his early education program. He has formally removed the statement that he would use money from the NASA Constellation program to pay for his plan. It has already been deleted from the documentation on his website.

I have read versions of the transcripts from this town hall in a few places, but hearing them delivered by Obama gives them more weight. He adds life to the words and includes images of him as a child trying to catch a glimpse of the astronauts returning to Hawaii after landing in the Pacific Ocean.

For the first time, he proposes reinstating the National Aeronautics and Space Council, a very positive sign. It means he is starting to listen to many of the space communities who are providing space exploration policy advice. The council in the past has served as a place where all the country's entities who are connected to space – NOAA, NASA, DoD, etc – can come together and create synergies around future plans. Here is more from his speech, though as I said, just listen for yourself above...

To help formulate this vision, I’ll reestablish the National Aeronautics and Space Council so that we can develop a plan to explore the solar system – a plan that involves both human and robotic missions, and enlists both international partners and the private sector. And as America leads the world to long-term exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond, let’s also tap NASA’s ingenuity to build the airplanes of tomorrow and to study our own planet so we can combat global climate change. Under my watch, NASA will inspire the world, make America stronger, and help grow the economy here in Florida.

What I have most consistently heard Obama say is that he is committed to NASA being inspiring again. I think that is heartening. If you would like to see your favorite space project thrive in an Obama administration, you had better make sure you can demonstrate how inspiring it is. Perhaps that is not such a bad metric...

Barack's Town Hall in Titusville, Florida [Barack Obama]

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