From
WaPo candidate forum:
Dallas, Tex.: If elected President, what are your plans for NASA and the Space Program? Do you think it's time to retire the Shuttle and move on to bigger and better things, such as a human mission to Mars, or returning to the moon?
Howard Dean: I am a strong supporter of NASA and every government program that furthers scientific research. I don't think we should close the shuttle program but I do believe that we should aggressively begin a program to have manned flights to Mars. This of course assumes that we can change Presidents so we can have a balanced budget again.
What do the other candidates think about space? Big issues are whether to continue space shuttle use, how to get a space shuttle replacement, investing in a space elevator, mannned missions to Mars, cost-justifying/privatizing the space program, and asteroid-collision detection and avoidance.