Space advocates happy with idea of Bill Richardson in senior post in Obama administration

Governor Bill Richardson and Sir Richard Branson celebrating the partnership of Spaceport America and Virgin Galactic.

And I'm one of them. Those interested in private space exploration are especially big fans of Richardson considering what he's done with Spaceport America in New Mexico. Bill Richardson was my favourite Democrat to win the primaries this year, even though it was pretty obvious from the outset that he wouldn't. A cabinet post is the second-best thing. The article on space.com has the following:

The political buzz is that President-elect Barack Obama is looking at New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary or some other senior post in his administration.

That news sent me scrambling back to some notes I took Oct. 24 at the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge.

Richardson showed up at the event -- held at the Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico -- to announce a partnership between Rocket Racing, Inc. and Armadillo Aerospace to create a new suborbital spaceship concept to fly from the his state's Spaceport America.

During a press gab session, Richardson was asked about any possible post he might play in an Obama White House... "Here's what I want to be sure of ... that the Obama administration is pro-commercial space ... that the administration is pro-space, pro-government space, pro-commercial space," Richardson observed.

Richardson said that "it's in the interest of our national space industry that commercial space could properly develop ... so I will be an advocate wherever I am ... hopefully here, still as governor of New Mexico ... you never know."