You may hear a lot about space travel at the Republican National Convention

The third night of the Republican National Convention seems to have a surprising theme emerging.

On July 20, former NASA astronaut Eileen Collins, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and former House speaker Newt Gingrich are tentatively scheduled to give speeches at the convention in Cleveland. All three are, to some degree, involved in space policy and spaceflight advocacy.

Collins was the first woman to command a NASA space shuttle mission. Both Cruz and Gingrich have a history of advocating for space exploration, going so far as to propose a new moon base (Gingrich) and support a mission to Mars (Cruz).

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Cruz currently chairs the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, which oversees NASA.

These facts taken together aren't exactly convincing until you realize that July 20, which is the third night of the convention, is also the anniversary of Apollo 11's landing on the moon and the first Mars lander arriving on the red planet.

Image: NASA

"The confluence of space-connected speakers may just be a coincidence, but as it is the anniversary of the first manned moon landing and first robotic Mars landing, it wouldn't be a complete surprise if there is a running space-theme to their remarks," Robert Pearlman, a space historian and editor of collectSPACE.com, told Mashable.

Fits with Trump's slogan

As those who are familiar with NASA's agenda during the Kennedy and Reagan administrations will tell you, space exploration can serve as a major morale booster for a nation in trying times. In addition, a bold space exploration agenda would seem to fit in well with the "Make America Great Again" slogan of presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump.

After all, NASA right now is relying on Russian rockets to carry astronauts to the International Space Station, and Elon Musk's SpaceX makes more space-related headlines than the government agency does.

To date, Trump hasn't had the best record when it comes to spaceflight and space policy. 

Earlier in his campaign, Trump suggested that infrastructure on Earth needed to be fixed before aiming for Mars. However, having strong spaceflight supporters speak at the convention could lend him some legitimacy in those circles.

Image: John Sommers II/Getty Images

"Space is historically and today a symbol of technical and international leadership so it would be logical refer to U.S. space achievements at the convention," Scott Pace, the director of the Space Policy Institute at the George Washington University, told Mashable via email.

"Given the heavy reliance of the U.S. economy and national security on space systems, and growing threats from Russian and Chinese anti-satellite weapons, I would expect the Republican platform to have strong statements about improving U.S. and allied space security," he said.

Cruz and Gingrich are big time space guys

Gingrich has long supported causes that would advance American spaceflight. 

Along with trumpeting the idea of a moon base, Gingrich has also voiced his desire to see NASA establish a human presence on Mars, a goal which the space agency is working toward right now. 

Cruz chairs the subcommittee responsible for civil space policy and oversees NASA. 

During a tense hearing in March of last year, Cruz questioned NASA's role in Earth science research, saying that NASA has "lost its full focus" on its core mission of exploring space.  

That mission, according to Cruz, "is what inspires little boys and little girls across this country."  

Not everyone is sold on the idea that July 20 is going to be a space-themed day, however.

Aside from their space chops, both Gingrich and Cruz have been intimately involved in this election cycle. Gingrich was floated as a possible running mate for Trump, and Cruz also vied for the nomination earlier in the cycle.

"They're not there because of space connections," said John Logsdon, professor emeritus of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, said of Cruz and Gingrich. 

"...I'm just not buying that's the reason, that there's any link between the Apollo anniversary and Gingrich and Cruz. If you want to push it a little bit and look at the organization of the night, I suppose that night could be connected to Trump's theme of 'make America great again.'"

Logsdon also mentioned that at least one Apollo-era astronaut was reportedly asked to speak at the convention, but turned down the invitation.

Spaceflight in a Republican administration

Collins' speech at the convention will  focus on the history of American supremacy in space exploration.

"I will be talking about how the Apollo program inspired Americans to rally behind a cause: John Kennedy’s challenge to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth by the end of the decade," Collins told Mashable in a statement. 

"We landed on the moon 'in peace, for all mankind' and I know that is a message we can all get behind."

Collins also added that her three-minute speech at the convention is not meant to be political.

"As another motive, this is a chance I could not pass up: We can raise awareness of how the U.S. human space program has slowed over the years," Collins added.

She recently made her feelings about the American space program known during testimony before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. 

"Apollo happened by 'the end of the decade' because people knew exactly what the mission was and when it should happen," Collins said in February. 

"They believed in it. And of course it was properly funded. There was not much division over what the mission was: and NASA was given the responsibility to figure out how to do it. The result was dedication, passion, and success. I know we can do this again."

Collins also said that she believes in NASA's goal of getting an American to Mars.

"I understand the long range vision for the U.S. human spaceflight program is landing a human on Mars," Collins added. "I support that mission. I hope that first person is an American. We can do it. And frankly, we can afford it. Those who say we can’t are just putting their priorities elsewhere."

Collins has kept close ties to NASA since retiring in 2006. Though she's never had much of a political profile, she has expressed skepticism of the Obama administration's policies when it comes to space exploration. 

Specifically, Collins has criticized the administration's 2010 decision to cancel the Constellation program that would have sent people back to the moon.

She isn't the only one who thinks the Obama administration's space priorities have been problematic. 

"Leaving Donald Trump aside, there is a fairly high degree of frustration among people who thought that the approach to space taken during the Bush Administration was a good approach," Logsdon said. 

"There's a residual, almost anger at Obama's cancelation of Constellation, which is separate of any endorsement of Donald Trump," he said.

Collins' tie to Hillary Clinton 

Collins was announced as NASA's first female space shuttle commander during a ceremony at the White House in 1998 attended by President Bill Clinton and then-first lady Hillary Clinton.

"I hope there will be girls in the audience who look up at her and say, that's what I want to do," Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee this year, said during the ceremony, according to CNN.

Image: Karin Cooper/getty

Active NASA astronauts aren't allowed to engage in partisan politics while on the job, but once an employee leave the space agency, there is no prohibition on publicly supporting candidates.

And Collins is far from the only astronaut to get involved with politics after leaving NASA's corps.

John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, was an Ohio senator for 25 years after leaving NASA. Current Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson is a former astronaut as well. 

UPDATE: July 17, 2016, 9:31 p.m. EDT This story has been updated to include a statement from Eileen Collins.