| Year | Pres. | House | Senate | Democrats | Republicans | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | R | R | R | |||
| 1904 | R | R | R | |||
| 1908 | R | R | R | |||
| 1912 | R | D | R | |||
| 1916 | D | D | D | |||
| 1920 | D | R | R | |||
| 1924 | R | R | R | |||
| 1928 | R | R | R | |||
| 1932 | R | R | R | |||
| 1936 | D | D | D | |||
| 1940 | D | D | D | |||
| 1944 | D | D | D | |||
| 1948 | D | R | R | |||
| 1952 | D | D | D | |||
| 1956 | R | D | D | |||
| 1957 | R | D | D | Sputnik launched | ||
| 1958 | R | D | D | NASA established | ||
| 1959 | R | D | D | NASA accounces Mercury 7 | ||
| 1960 | R | D | D | The new Democratic Administration will press forward with our national space program in full realization of the importance of space accomplishments to our national security and our international prestige. | Continued expansion of the Eisenhower-Nixon Atoms-for-Peace program and a constant striving, backed by scientific advice, for international agreement for peaceful and cooperative exploration and use of space. | |
| 1961 | D | D | D | Kennedy promises to put a man on the moon before end of decade/Alan Shepard becomes first US man in space |
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| 1962 | D | D | D | John Glenn orbits earth | ||
| 1964 | D | D | D | In four vigorous years we have moved to the forefront of space exploration. The United States must never again settle for second place in the race for tomorrow’s frontiers. | ||
| 1968 | D | D | D | We shall continue to work for our goal of leadership in space. To this end we will maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of our space programs through utilization of the best program, planning and budgeting systems. | We regard the ability to launch and deploy advanced spacecraft as a military necessity. We deplore the failure of the Johnson- Humphrey Administration to emphasize the military uses of space for America’s defense. | |
| 1969 | R | D | D | Apollo 11 moon landing | ||
| 1970 | R | D | D | Apollo 13 disaster | ||
| 1972 | R | D | D | The space program is yielding impressive dividends in earth-oriented applications of space technology—advances in medicine, industrial techniques and consumer products that would still be unknown had we not developed the technology to reach the moon. We will press ahead with the space shuttle program to replace today’s expendable launch vehicles and provide low-cost access to space for a wide variety of missions, including those related to earth resources. We pledge to continue to extend our knowledge of the most distant frontiers in space. | Last mission to the moon | |
| 1976 | R | D | D | The national space program plays a pioneer role in exploring the mysteries of our universe and we support its expansion. | ||
| 1980 | D | D | D | Successfully launch the Space Shuttle, take advantage of the many opportunities it offers to make space activities more economic and productive, and release new resources for the future scientific exploration of space | Space Shuttle program launches | |
| 1983 | R | D | R | Sally Ride first woman in space |
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| 1984 | R | D | R | |||
| 1986 | R | D | R | Challenger Disaster | ||
| 1988 | R | D | D | We support further development of the space station, the National Aerospace Plane, Project Pathfinder, a replacement shuttle, and the development of alternate launch vehicles. We endorse Mission to Planet Earth for space science to advance our understanding of environmental and climatic forces. . . We must commit to a manned flight to Mars around the year 2000 and to continue exploration of the moon. . . We must establish a permanent manned space station in orbit during the 1990s for a commercial and governmental space presence. | ||
| 1992 | R | D | D | Investments in space, though aimed at the future, pay dividends right now—in research and medicine, in international competitiveness and domestic opportunity. This must not be diverted to political pork barrels. The journey to the stars used to be a bipartisan adventure, but many Democrat officeholders have jumped ship. | Hubble Telescope launched | |
| 1996 | D | R | R | We are working to reinvent the national laboratories and revitalize America’s space program, including support for the space station. | A Republican president and a Republican Congress will work together to make space an American frontier again. We will develop the Reusable Launch Vehicle, promote markets for commercial space launch services, and push technology to its creative limits. Commercial space development holds the key to expanding our aerospace industry and strengthening our technology base, but it can be promoted only by removing unnecessary and artificial regulatory, legal, and tax barriers. | |
| 1999 | D | R | R | Pathfinder lands on Mars | ||
| 2000 | R | R | R | the Republican Party will remain committed to America’s leadership in space research and exploration. We will ensure that this Nation can expand our knowledge of the universe, and with the support of the American people, continue the exploration of Mars and the rest of the solar system. We consider space travel and space science a national priority with virtually unlimited benefits, in areas ranging from medicine to micro-machinery, for those on earth. | ||
| 2004 | R | R | R | |||
| 2005 | R | R | R | Space Shuttle Disaster | ||
| 2006 | R | R | R | Spirit and Opportunity land on Mars |
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| 2008 | R | D | D | As a symbol of that commitment, we share the vision of returning Americans to the moon as a step toward a mission to Mars. In advancing our country’s space and aeronautics program, NASA will remain one of the world’s most important pioneers in technology, and from its explorations can come tremendous benefits for mankind. | ||
| 2012 | D | R | D | President Obama has charted a new mission for NASA to lead us to a future that builds on America’s legacy of innovation and exploration. Democrats reformed the patent system to speed approval of investors’ patents and provide alternatives to wasteful litigation. | To preserve our national security interests and foster innovation and competitiveness, we must sustain our preeminence in space, launching more science missions, guaranteeing unfettered access, and maintaining a source of high-value American jobs. | |
| 2013 | D | R | D | Space Shuttle program ends | ||
| 2016 | D | R | R | Democrats believe in continuing the spirit of discovery that has animated NASA’s exploration of space over the last half century. We will strengthen support for NASA and work in partnership with the international scientific community to launch new missions to space. | ||
| 2020 | R | D | R | We support NASA’s work to return Americans to the moon and go beyond to Mars, taking the next step in exploring our solar system. Democrats additionally support strengthening NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Earth observation missions to better understand how climate change is impacting our home planet. | ||
| 2021 | D | D | D | Nasa Mars 2020 Mission (Perseverance and Inguinity Land) |
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| 2024 | D | R | D | Under Republican Leadership, the United States will create a robust Manufacturing Industry in Near Earth Orbit, send American Astronauts back to the Moon, and onward to Mars, and enhance partnerships with the rapidly expanding Commercial Space sector to revolutionize our ability to access, live in, and develop assets in Space. |