US Election 2012: Newt Gingrich promises American colony on the Moon He brushed aside criticism from his rival Mitt Romney, who has repeatedly pointed to Mr Gingrich's space ambitions as evidence of a chaotic mind and a planet-sized ego. "Here's the difference between romantics and so-called practical people," Mr Gingrich said. "I wanted every young American to say to themselves, "I could be one of those 13,000, I could be a pioneer."" To laughter from the crowd that gathered in Cocoa, a small city on Florida's 'Space Coast', Mr Gingrich admitted that proposing a US state on the Moon was "the weirdest thing I've ever done" but said it was part of a larger plan to "unleash" the potential of the American people. He added America should not settle for the the Moon and promised manned missions to Mars by the end of his second term. Does that mean I'm a visionary? You betcha," he said. While the speech, which Mr Gingrich happily compared to the John F Kennedy address that set America on course for the first Moon landing, drew howls of derision on the internet, it may prove wise politicking ahead of Tuesday's primary. The space industry is a huge employer in Florida, and the state reacted with dismay to President Barack Obama's decision to end the US space shuttle programme.