NASA responds to President Trump’s directive to reclaim space superiority

June 18 was a busy work day for President Donald Trump as he continued to support his immigration policy which separates children from their parents as those immigrant families seeking asylum cross into the U.S. from Mexico.  That policy of separating children from their parents has drawn sharp criticism from Democrats, Republicans, human rights advocates and all five of the living First Ladies.  Also yesterday, Trump helped escalate the trade war with China when he threatened to “impose tariffs on another $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and potentially even more if Beijing continues to fight back.” Also notable on the president’s agenda yesterday, was a surprise announcement before a meeting of the National Space Council describing his intentions to create a sixth military branch known as the Space Force.

“It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space. We are going to have the Air Force and we’re going to have the ‘Space Force.’ Separate but equal. It is going to be something.”  ~ per MSN

NASA appeared to be supportive of the president’s new space policy directive and released the following statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine after yesterday’s signing of Trump’s Space Policy Directive-3:

“NASA strongly supports the White House’s continued bold direction in forging a sustainable and focused space policy that strengthens American leadership. It was my honor today to represent the agency at the National Space Council, where the President announced Space Policy Directive-3 – which will guide critical and much-needed progress for space traffic management.

“SPD-3 builds on our continued progress implementing SPD-1, which is galvanizing American space leadership by returning to the Moon with commercial and international partners, and SPD-2, which will create regulatory certainty for entrepreneurs to raise capital to grow the American economy in space.

“As we continue to thrive in space, we also have more people launching to orbit, and an increasingly complex universe of satellites overhead. SPD-3 provides guidelines and initiatives to ensure that America is a leader in providing a safe and secure environment as space traffic increases. Common sense space situational awareness and traffic management will be good for our economy and will help provide a more stable environment for the burgeoning space economy.

“Reducing the growing threat of orbital debris is in the interest of all nations, and NASA looks forward to working with the National Space Council, the Department of Commerce and other partners on a path forward. SPD-3 and the directives that preceded it, along with the President’s enthusiasm for our nation’s innovative work, are providing a strong foundation for our nation to once again do the big things that will shape a bright future for all of us in space.”

The creation of the proposed Space Force cannot be enacted by the president unilaterally via Executive Order but would require congressional approval.  As of this writing, the U.S. Congress is divided on the notion of a new sixth military branch.

~ Published by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter