Crist, congressional delegation seek to retain Florida's NASA ties

WASHINGTON — Declaring "we're all united on space," Gov. Charlie Crist met with Florida lawmakers Tuesday in an attempt to turn back proposed landmark changes to NASA's mission in the state.

"All of us are deeply concerned about what the administration is doing," Crist said, referring to President Barack Obama's plan to cancel the Constellation program that was to replace space shuttle missions and return astronauts to the moon.

The congressional delegation hopes to change Obama's direction as he arrives in Florida on April 15 for a summit on the issue, and one lawmaker hinted at possible concessions.

"I'm very optimistic about his visit," said Sen. Bill Nelson, who met with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on Tuesday morning. Nelson, who is pushing for continued funding of a heavy-lift space vehicle, refused to elaborate.

Florida stands to lose about 7,000 space jobs under Obama's proposal, which adds billions in new funding for NASA, but shifts the focus and relies more on private enterprise. The region could make up nearly 2,000 of the lost jobs with the growth of private companies. The lawmakers and Crist say they welcome the private industry but want a balance, and fear there will be a gap in which highly skilled and highly paid workers will leave the state.

Despite the manufactured look of a full-throated campaign, the day was short on specifics. The one concrete idea during the delegation meeting came from Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, who suggested Crist rally support among governors of other states with a stake in space.

Using a blue Sharpie, Crist wrote them in a notebook: California, Texas, Alabama …

After the meeting, Crist paused to talk with Capitol Hill reporters, then went to meetings with Sens. George LeMieux and Nelson.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, who has been tackling the space issue under Crist, asked Nelson for help in urging the Department of Defense to steer work to the space industry to offset lost jobs.

"It's a work force that can be easily converted to just about anything," Kottkamp said.

Later in the day, Crist had a private meeting with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. If Obama is willing to back off a bit, Bolden was not showing that during a speech Tuesday before space industry executives.

"This budget is good for NASA because it sets the agency on a sustainable path that is tightly linked to our nation's interests," Bolden said, according to a report by Reuters.

Noting a series of delays and insufficient funding in past years, Bolden said, "The Constellation program was on an unsustainable trajectory. If we continued on our current course, at best we would have ended up flying a handful of astronauts to the moon sometime after 2030."

The subtext of Crist's visit was his own ambition to join the U.S. Senate. "Is this the Crist thing?" a TV cameraman asked, poking his head in the delegation meeting. He decided to wait outside for the press conference.

The meeting room provided some subtle drama, with Crist surrounded by some fellow Republicans, including Reps. Jeff Miller of Chumuckla and Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville, former Crist supporters who now back Marco Rubio.

The ever-upbeat Crist greeted his detractors with a smile.