Election 2016: Keep Tabs on the Presidential Candidates' Space Plans

You can now keep track of everything the 2016 presidential candidates say about spaceflight and exploration, thanks to the nonprofit Planetary Society.

The Planetary Society, an exploration advocacy organization headed by former TV "Science Guy" Bill Nye, is cataloguing the space-related statements made by Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and other contenders as the presidential primary election events get into full swing.

"Space rarely makes a strong showing in national elections, despite the major state of transition NASA finds itself in today," Planetary Society representatives wrote on the group's "Election 2016" hub page, which you can find here.

"So throughout the 2016 Presidential election season, The Planetary Society will be tracking statements made by the candidates referring to civil space issues," they added. "Working with our members, we are cataloguing and sourcing as many statements for the active candidates as we can find."

The Iowa caucuses kick off the voting contests Monday (Feb. 1), followed by the New Hampshire primaries on Feb. 9.

NASA must often shift its goals and priorities as new presidential administrations take power. For example, in 2010, President Barack Obama cancelled the moon-oriented Constellation program, which was initiated under President George W. Bush, and directed the space agency instead to work toward getting astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid by 2025, and to the vicinity of Mars in the 2030s.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.