More than 100 former NASA astronauts are launching a nonpartisan nonprofit that will advocate for constitutional limits and bringing back civic responsibility.
Astronauts For America, which includes a mix of Republicans, Democrats and independents, plans to score political candidates and meet with federal policymakers to share concerns about the state of U.S. democracy. The group is independent of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and membership is limited to retired astronauts.
In an open letter to the American people, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, the group said, “For decades we’ve seen a steady erosion of our founding values and principles that weakens our democratic systems. The result has been political polarization and subversion of key constitutional and institutional norms, including bipartisan cooperation, executive constraint, and judicial independence.” The group promises “to take officials to task when they ignore the rule of law or distort and disregard the facts.”
Garrett Reisman, 58 years old, a registered Democrat and one of the group’s co-founders, said he decided to start the organization last year after the conduct he saw while witnessing an immigration raid at a local carwash.
“What I saw, seemed to me, just fundamentally un-American,” said the veteran of two Space Shuttle missions. “It seemed to be more like what I was used to seeing when I lived in Russia, where basically the security services can act with impunity.”
The organization marks the first time such a large cohort of former spacefarers has organized to weigh in on politics. The group plans to release candidate scorecards to educate voters, holding leaders accountable to the same oath to “support and defend” the Constitution that all astronauts take before leaving the atmosphere.
