Last night's GOP debate didn't just tap the tectonic plate-moving question of whether Ron Paul likes iPhones (he doesn't!). Newt Gingrich was hit with an actually non-bullshit question: should we de-fund NASA? He didn't really answer, but loves space!


Whether he meant the notion of humankind blasting into the vacuum, or some hitherto covert program of sending House speakers into the cosmos, Newt said he enjoys space travel. He also trashed NASA, claiming it's the agency's fault we don't have "a permanent station on the moon, three or four permanent station in space, [and] a new generation of lift vehicles."


Then, when asked, not a single candidate said they'd "want the government to stay in the lead when it comes to manned spaceflight."

But Newt wasn't having any mid-debate smearing by the mouths of his opponents—you see, he's not saying he wants to eliminate the space program, he just wants to "decentralize it, [get] it out of Washington, and cut out the bureaucracy." We're not exactly sure how you "cut out" the bureaucracy of a federal agency without eliminating that agency. Would NASA become a handful of engineers in scattered basements across the country, sending each other animated GIFs of rockets and talking over Skype? We'll have that permanent Moon base in no time!