Obama is scheduled to visit Florida April 15 to discuss his controversial plan. And fearing he is not planning to bring good news, these strange bedfellows are preparing to pressure him to invest in Floridas heavy-lift vehicles and set a specific deadline for NASAs exploration of Mars.
Florida business leaders and others say it would be mistake for the president to journey to Florida without a revised plan.
If thats what he does, hes going to be roundly blasted by everybody because it would show he has no vision for the space program," said Barney Bishop, president of Associated Industries of Florida.
State Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, agreed.
(Obama) doesnt need to defend it, said the vocal advocate for the Space Coast. We understand it. We have a lot of rocket scientists here.
"The administration needs to know that the political climate is extremely hostile," said another space industry insider who asked not to be named.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers from Florida, Texas, California and Colorado met Thursday with NASA director Charles Bolden to press the administration for a greater commitment to space as the "high ground" for America's military presence.
"We saw what might have been a crack in the door," Rep. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, told Sunshine State News. "For the first time in our meetings with Bolden, it wasn't 'my way or the highway' from him."
Posey said his bipartisan House Action Team agenda is in sync with the talking points of Florida business and union leaders who are scrambling to protect space-related jobs.
The three key priorities behind which the Florida groups are uniting are as follows:
* A commitment to building the next generation of heavy-lift vehicles.
* A commitment to continuing shuttle missions into the near future.
* A specific date for a launch to Mars.
This flies in the face of Obamas recently announced budget that ends NASAs shuttle missions this year, a move that could cost up to 9,000 jobs at Kennedy Space Center. Another 14,000 indirect jobs could also be affected.
Obama's plan also calls for the dismantling of NASA's Constellation program, intended to replace the NASA shuttle after its four missions this year. The Constellation program would have allowed NASA to build spacecraft for a return to the moon.
The stakes are huge for Florida, where 47 of 67 counties claim a home for suppliers to the aerospace industry.
"This is truly a statewide industry, and unions have very real concerns about a lack of clarity in the (Obama) budget," said Space Florida director Frank DiBello.
"We know we'll play a role in any launches, but we're targeting a broader set of roles in space exploration and applied scientific development," DiBello said.
In the wake of meetings by business leaders, Space Florida and the Space Coast Economic Development Commission, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., said he supports a timeline for trips to the moon even as the nation plans its trip to Mars.
With Russia and other nations encroaching on space exploration, America's dominance is at stake, he said
"I think that the president is giving up America's exceptionalism," LeMieux said.
There are also demands to extend the life of the space shuttle program by at least one mission. Obamas current budget ends the missions at four this year.
Posey said phasing out the shuttle program was in direct opposition to Obamas campaign promises. As he was campaigning, Obama told voters he would continue the shuttle for as long as possible until Constellation was ready. This would close the gap in space flight programs, he had said.
"Obama's budget doesnt close the gap, Posey said. It makes it eternal.
Florida union and business leaders say the shuttle remains a crucial bridge to the future and an integral support of the economy.
A recently released "white paper," endorsed by five major shuttle contractors, argued for extending the shuttles' use as a "test bed" for commercial technology.
"We have a reliable vehicle that could do a lot more," said a source who requested anonymity.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., meanwhile, appeared in Cocoa Friday, and said NASA should be charged with continuing the testing and development of a new spacecraft and heavy lift rocket at the same time as it focuses on getting humans to Mars and back, which could mean retaining many of the workers from the former Constellation program.
The former space shuttle crew member was joined by Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana.
Nelson's plea also came in response to Obamas decision to cancel NASAs return-to-the-moon program, which proposes passing to private businesses the development of a commercial rocket industry that would ferry astronauts to low-earth orbit and the International Space Station.
Previously, Nelson met privately with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden to discuss, among other things, adding a fifth shuttle flight sometime next year. Four flights remain on the manifest, but Nelson said all the hardware, including the fuel tank is available, for at least one added flight that could take equipment to the space station.
Nelson also wants NASA to continue testing and development of a heavy lift rocket and new spacecraft as part of a mission to land humans on Mars, have them able to live there a short time, and then return to a space dock in low-earth orbit.
To achieve this goal the president needs to direct that NASA create a rocket and spacecraft that will get us there, Nelson said.
