Romney and Santorum Also to Visit Space Coast

Newt Gingrich is not the only Republican presidential hopeful who will visit the Space Coast in advance of the Florida Republican primary on January 31.  Florida Today reports that Mitt Romney will visit on Friday and Rick Santorum on Saturday.

Gingrich is scheduled to hold two meetings in Cocoa, FL this afternoon.   Florida Today says that Romney will be in Titusville at 4:35 pm on Friday, and Santorum will speak at a “Space Coast Tiger Bay” luncheon in Viera on Saturday.

The appearances skip over tomorrow, January 26, probably because it is the date of the next Republican primary debate in Jacksonville.   However, it also is NASA’s “Day of Remembrance” in honor of those who lost their lives in the country’s three human spaceflight tragedies:  the Apollo fire on January 27, 1967 and the two space shuttle tragedies  — Challenger, January 28, 1986, and Columbia, Feb. 1, 2003.   A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at Kennedy Space Center at 10:30 am tomorrow.

Gingrich and Romney shared their views on the space program at Monday night’s Repubican primary debate.   Santorum was not asked about the space program and did not volunteer any views.   Neither did Ron Paul, the fourth candidate still in the race.  There is no indication on Paul’s campaign  website that he plans to visit the Space Coast.