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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia: Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the NASA Authorization Act of 2008. It authorizes $20.2 billion for NASA in FY 09, including $1 billion to speed development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle and Crew Launch Vehicle.
This bill authorizes increased funding for vital aeronautics research after several years of cuts. In fact, it authorizes $853 million for aeronautics research, a $341 million dollar increase over FY 07 levels.
This includes continued funding for the next-generation air transportation system initiative—a collaborative federal effort to design a new air traffic control system that can accommodate increased air traffic, which is expected to double or even triple by 2025. This important work being conducted by engineers and scientists at NASA Langley will lay the groundwork for a more efficient, safer, and environmentally-friendly air traffic system that will reduce delays and allow our nation to move more people and goods around the United States and around the world.
Madam Speaker, we know that investing in aeronautics research pays off. The aviation industry is the number one positive contributor to the U.S. balance of trade, with a net contribution to this balance of more than $60 billion in 2007. This is directly attributable to our past investment in aeronautics research. EVERY aircraft, world wide, uses NASA technology. And NASA Langley Research Center located in Hampton, Virginia has been at the forefront of developing many of these cutting edge technologies.
Engineering principles developed from past research at Langley have contributed to overall aircraft safety and efficiency through advances in wing design, noise abatement, structural integrity, and fuel efficiency. And it is important to remember that these principles were developed five, ten, twenty, or even thirty years before they led to improvements in the commercial aircraft we see today. Though we may not see the benefits of today’s investments in research for several decades, if we fail to make these investments today, we will regret that decision twenty or thirty years from now. Our nation’s leadership position in aeronautics is made more secure by the commitments we make today.
Madam Speaker, this bill recognizes that aeronautics has been an essential part of NASA’s mission since the Agency’s founding 50 years ago. NASA’s aeronautics research and development efforts, including the work done by the workers at Langley Research Center in Virginia, have made the United States the world leader in the aeronautics industry.
I commend Chairman Gordon and the Members of the Science and Technology Committee for their hard work on this bill and for bringing it to the full House, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
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