Midterms and Space

Jeff Foust wrote a great rundown of the space implications of the midterms that’s worth reading this morning.

Couple of notes:

  • Rep. Culberson lost his seat. That could—and probably will—have massive negative implications for the Europa missions he’s nearly-single-handedly been pushing so hard.
  • Senator Nelson lost his seat in Florida. That means we no longer have to hear his anecdote about looking back at his family homestead right before stepping onto the Space Shuttle in 1986. It also means the Senate lost a senior member of the space committee, who was a very vocal supporter of extending the ISS to 2030. Yet to be seen if that really matters, but it is notable.
  • It’s still close, but Rep. Rohrabacher looks to be on the way out, as well. Among other implications, we no longer have to hear bullshit like this.
  • The House flipped, which means that all the committees get new leadership. That shifts the leverage that members have, and with it, the committee priorities, which could impact space a bit.

Keep an eye out to see how the new members of Congress from Texas, Florida, California, and other space strongholds position themselves over the next few months.