Neither of the major-party U.S. presidential candidates is expected to press for aggressive U.S. policies in space or the procurement of anti-satellite weapons, a new report suggests.

Thus no major space-policy moves are expected from Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the Republican presidential nominee, or Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the Democratic hopeful, according to Michael Krepon, co-founder of the Stimson Center think tank.

"Which course will the next U.S. President pursue? If past remains prologue, treaty making and the proactive pursuit of space or ASAT weapons cannot be ruled out, but these options may well be beyond the reach of the next administration," Krepon predicted.

"Republican presidential candidate John McCain has not indicated interest in new diplomatic initiatives governing the military uses of space, and he has said little about space or ASAT weapons," Krepon noted.

Even if McCain were to shift suddenly to a space-activist role, "Democratic majorities on Capitol Hill are likely to constrain his ability to pursue space and ASAT weapons, if elected," Krepon predicted.

That leaves the Democratic contender.

While Obama "has endorsed a code of conduct to reinforce norms of responsible behavior in space," Krepon wrote, "unwise actions by Beijing or Moscow could constrain his freedom of action, if the Democrats regain the White House."

The full text of Krepon’s comments titled "What Next For U.S. Space Diplomacy?" can be viewed in entirety at http://www.stimson.org on the Web.