Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was in Brevard County Friday to talk about the space coast and the future of the space program.

Romney spoke to a packed house Astrotech Space Operations in Cape Canaveral Friday afternoon, saying it was time for the space program to have a clear mission.

"It's time to have a mission for the space program of the United States of America," Romney said.

Romney continued to seemingly bash his opponent Newt Gingrich for his moon colony plan, saying he will provide a well-thought out plan on how to advance the space program.

"I spent my life in the private sector, and before you made tough decisions you did some work," Romney said. "I’m not going to tell you here today what the mission will be, I’ll tell you how I’m going to get there."

Romney said extensive research was needed before outlining a future for the space program. He outlined four objectives to the space program, including existential, commercial, health and defense.

Romney got a boost of support Friday from eight space leaders in n open letter, including veteran shuttle mission commander and pilot Bob Crippen, Apollo 17 mission commander Gene Cernan and former NASA Chief Mike Griffin.

Romney also bashed President Barack Obama, saying he says one thing and does another -- and has been unsuccessful in turning the economy around.

"He [Obama] said if I cant turn around the economy 3 years, I’ll be looking for a one term proposition," Romney said. "We’re here to collect."

Meanwhile, in Miami earlier Friday, both Romney and Gingrich tackled another controversial topic in Thursday's debate-- immigration.

Romney said he's not against immigrants or immigration and he wants to expand legal immigration in America to give people more opportunities.

"I will fight to get more opportunities for Americans and that's the way we're going to create jobs for Latinos, Hispanics for our entire nation," Romney said.

A new poll shows Romney opening a lead over Newt Gingrich among likely voters as they head toward Tuesday's Republican presidential preference primary in Florida.

Gingrich tackled the same issue Friday saying we need to pay more attention to Latin Americans.

“We want every Latin American to have the rule of law, the right to private property, the opportunity to become prosperous, and we want them to be our best customers, just as we intend to be a good customer for them,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich added he wants to open up energy sources in Latin America. In last night's debate, he called Romney - the most anti-immigrant candidate in the race.

Romney fought back, denying that he wants to deport all of the country's 11 million illegal immigrants.

“We want every Latin American to have the rule of law, the right to private property, the opportunity to become prosperous, and we want them to be our best customers, just as we intend to be a good customer for them,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich added he wants to open up energy sources in Latin America. In Thursday's debate, he called Romney the most anti-immigrant candidate in the race.

Romney fought back and denied claims that he wants to deport all of the country's 11 million illegal immigrants.

Romney was favored by 38 percent compared to Gingrich's 29 percent in a survey of 580 likely voters conducted after Monday's debate in Tampa and before Thursday's debate in Jacksonville. Ron Paul received 14 percent and Rick Santorum 12 percent in the latest Quinnipiac University survey. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

The new figures indicate that Gingrich has lost some of the momentum he'd picked up with a victory in South Carolina on Jan. 21. Romney was favored by 36 percent of likely Florida Republican voters to 34 percent for Gingrich going into the week's earlier debate.

Romney kept Gingrich on the defensive at Thursday's debate about his stands on immigration and his personal investments, along with dismissing Gingrich's ieda of building a space colony on the moon.

"I spent 25 years in business, if I had a business executive come to me and say they want to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon I’d say you’re fired,” Romney said, generating laughs across the room. "The idea that corporate America wants to go off to the moon and build a colony there it may be a big idea but it’s not a good idea."

Romney went on to accuse Gingrich of just telling Floridians what they want to hear.