Former NASA Astronauts Launch Non-profit Focused On Civic Responsibility - Report

LOS ANGELES, April 22 (Bernama-Xinhua) -- More than 100 former NASA astronauts have launched a non-partisan non-profit organisation aimed at promoting civic responsibility and raising concerns about the state of democratic governance in the United States (US), Xinhua reported, citing a report by The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

The group, called Astronauts For America, includes former astronauts affiliated with the Democratic and Republican parties as well as independents, according to the report.

Independent of NASA and limited to retired astronauts, the organisation plans to evaluate political candidates and meet with federal policymakers to share concerns about the state of US democracy, the report said.

In an open letter to the public, the group noted the growing political polarisation and challenges to institutional norms in recent years. The group promised, "to take officials to task when they ignore the rule of law or distort and disregard the facts."

The report said the initiative marks the first time such a large cohort of former astronauts has organised to engage in political issues.

The organisation plans to release candidate scorecards and encourage US citizens to consider factors such as respect for the rule of law and bipartisan cooperation when evaluating elected officials and candidates. 

-- BERNAMA-XINHUA