Politicos

As the saying goes, “No bucks, no Buck Rogers.” Among politicians, the best of them not only fight for the funding their nation’s space programs need, but also provide vision and leadership. Over the years, many politicians have made their mark. for good or ill, on their nation’s space programs, international space policy and the broader space economy. A few standout.

Bulmahn

Edelgard Bulmahn -- During her two-year stint leading the European Space Agency’s council of ministers, Bulmahn, the German Research minister, took an active role in shaping European space policy. She led the effort to put a hold on European space station spending in 2001. That was a tactic in a concerted effort to pressure the United States to live up to its commitments to the international space station after NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe began scaling back U.S. ambitions in the program in an effort to put an end to massive cost overruns.

Al Gore & Viktor Chernomyrdin -- The U.S. vice president and the Russian premier forged the partnership that brought Russia into the international space station program in 1993. Although the partnership had its ups and downs -- and House Republicans roundly criticized Gore in the lead up to the 2000 presidential contest for the delays and cost growth the space station program has experienced -- it is now clear just how important Russia has been to the program.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) -- Hunter spearheaded the ultimately successful campaign in the U.S. Congress to transfer jurisdiction for approving satellite exports from the U.S. Commerce Department to the U.S. State Department. The impact of that change, which reclassified satellite exports as weapon systems, was felt around the world because most satellites contain at least some parts manufactured in the United States. With the State Department far more stringent about satellite exports than Commerce was, the change slowed manufacturing and nearly halted the launch of commercial satellites aboard Chinese Long March rockets. While many arms control advocates hailed the change, many in the satellite industry blamed it for a decline in U.S. market share.

Richard Malow -- Longtime aide to House Appropriations Committee Chairman Bob Traxler (D-Mich.), Malow played a major role in shaping U.S. plans for a space station. Known for asking incredibly detailed questions at congressional hearings and in private briefings, Malow is said to have had a bigger hand in redesigning the international space station in the early 1990s than many engineers sporting NASA badges.

Loyola de Pallacio -- As a vice president of the European Commission and the European Union’s transport and energy commissioner, she was instrumental in winning approval for the Galileo satellite navigation system. Pallacio once threatened cancellation of Galileo as a way to get slow-to-act European transport ministers to stop debating and finally approve funding for the project.

Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.) -- Year after year Roemer led the effort in the U.S. House of Representatives to kill the space station program — first Space Station Freedom and later the international space station. He came closest in the summer of 1993 during a House floor vote to approve the appropriations bill that included NASA’s 1994 budget. His amendment to pull funding for the space station program failed by one vote.  Though he never succeeded, Roemer kept the heat on NASA, and the space station’s many detractors continue to insist that the events of the last decade show Roemer was right.

Rohrabacher

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) -- A loyal friend to space visionaries and entrepreneurs, the chairman of the House Science space and aeronautics subcommittee has gone to the mat time and again to open the final frontier to companies in the private sector beyond the large aerospace conglomerates. Rohrabacher has especially championed the development of new and innovative launch systems that might some day dramatically lower the cost of getting people and hardware into space. More than once his personal intervention has preserved funding for such efforts.

Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) -- As House Science Committee chairman, Sensenbrenner was determined to give NASA real oversight of its activities. He was particularly determined to hold the agency’s feet to the fire over space station costs and tried everything he could to keep the program from running out of control and consuming too much of the agency’s budget. He visited Russia personally to determine if bringing them into the program made sense. At one point, out of frustration he insisted that NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin and other agency employees be sworn in before he would allow them to testify. Before moving on to the House Judiciary Committee, Sensenbrenner pushed for enactment of the Iran Non-Proliferation Act of 2000, a bill that prevents NASA from buying space station goods and services from Russia so long as that country provides missile assistance to Iran. Count on that bill being in the news in the months ahead as NASA tries to ensure that Russian Progress and Soyuz vehicles keep flying to the station beyond 2005.

Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.) -- From his position as chairman of the Senate Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee in the 1990s, Smith was an outspoken supporter of military space programs, at one time advocating a separate space force. Smith also was the point person in Congress for the creation of the highly influential  space commission that was led by Donald Rumsfeld, the current Secretary of Defense.

Rep. Robert Walker (R-Penn.) -- After serving as House Science Committee chairman in the early 1990s, Walker’s stature and influence have only grown since leaving Congress. Considered one of Washington’s most influential lobbyists, he chaired a presidential commission on the future of the U.S. aerospace industry in 2002 and served on the president’s moon to Mars commission in 2004.

Next page: Government Service