Florida GOP congressman sets bold goal for American moon

The Space Coast’s new congressman wants the US to set ambitious goals for exploration beyond our earthbecause he believes the country’s potential will literally elevate Americans.

“We have to do everything we can to make sure it’s safe, but it’s done in a way that removes some of the unnecessary red tape so we can go out there, compete and beat China and any other nation,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital in an interview.

“Because the moon and beyond is not a cliché from a Disney film. It’s the future.”

Haridopolos said he would “love” to see the United States back to the moon over the next four years of the Trump administration. The Florida Republican was careful not to make absolute statements, noting, “We can’t guarantee anything,” but praised billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos for revitalizing the science and space sectors to make such conversations possible.

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“It’s a stepping stone,” he said. “For example, when we set off [nuclear power]with the need for more and more energy here in the United States… There are particles on the moon that would bring them back because they are very rare here in America [and] around the world.”

Helium-3 is a highly sought-after resource found on the Moon and is known to play a key role in nuclear fusion processes.

“From that point on, you colonize the moon and then you go on to Mars, which of course was Elon Musk’s vision,” Haridopolos said. “When he thought about things like SpaceX, he asked himself: How do I get to Mars? So how do you pay to get to Mars then? This was the inspiration for many of the new technologies he helped develop. And now he has one.” My zillionaire Jeff Bezos dreams of the same things. It’s really exciting.

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In Congress, the first-time lawmaker represents a part of the country known for being home to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

According to Florida Today, the Space Coast broke its all-time annual record with 93 orbital launches last year.

Launches of both Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 and Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket are scheduled to take place there this week.

He praised both President-elect Trump’s vision for space and new House Space Science and Technology Chairman Brian Babin, R-Texas.

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“Donald Trump has officially proven from day one and throughout 2019 that he loves space,” he said, referring to Trump’s creation of the Space Force.

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He suggested that the U.S. approach to the final frontier may be not unlike the optimism and pride of 1969, when the Americans landed a team of astronauts on the moon.

“It was an inspiration to my parents’ generation,” Haridopolos said. “Now of course Elon Musk gave us this whole new vision of potentially landing on Mars in our lifetime. It’s remarkable. And so the president said that this was the future.