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Our future depends on space commitment

12/20/07
Never before has there been a more appropriate time to recommit our national resources to the civilian space program; but many ask, “Why?”
 
This year the world recognized the 50th anniversary of Sputnik’s voyage around the Earth and the dawn of the space race between two superpowers, the United States celebrated the 46th anniversary of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and this past September marked the 45th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s immortal speech when he said, “We choose to go to the moon” and we did.
 
NASA’s budget has come under intense fire over the past two decades. Countries like China, Japan, India and Russia have seen space exploration apathy in the United States as an opportunity to increase their presence in space, some making claims to reach the moon and beyond within the next two decades.
 
Just last month China announced a plan to build a new generation of rockets; a move that would boost the country's capabilities to put satellites and space stations in orbit. This news follows China's successful launch two weeks ago of its first lunar probe and Japan’s lunar probe a few weeks before. India has signaled its own ambition, many expect India to have its own lunar probe by April 2008.
 
Before the United States loses it technological advantage in space it needs to recommit to NASA and manned spaceflight research and development.  NASA is six tenths of one percent of the overall Federal budget – less than one cent of every Federal dollar, versus one percent in 1994, and over four percent peak during the Apollo years.
 
NASA’s new challenge is not space exploration, but rather how to complete the International Space Station, retire the space shuttle program, and develop the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle with a stagnant and under funded budget. For the past decade I have represented the Johnson Space Center and am leading the charge in Congress to restore and expand NASA’s funding to acceptable levels.
 
The Johnson Space Center, right here in Southeast Texas, is crucial to our economy. Not only does it employ 3,500 federal employees and 14,000 contractors, it also feeds over $5 billion into the Texas economy. JSC has a great impact on a myriad of industries from housing to manufacturing to tourism in Fort Bend, Harris, Galveston, and Brazoria Counties.
 
The tentacles of NASA reach outside of Texas into medical research, energy research, materials engineering, textiles, and industries not yet created; because we went to the moon our economy is stronger and our lives are better. NASA has provided us with smoke detectors, the plastic used for Coke bottles and milk jugs, zippers, Velcro, GPS devices in our cars, protective gear for firefighters, and even eye charts.  
 
Like the moon, the benefit of our next discovery will not just be the pride of arriving at the destination; benefits will also be gained by what we learn along the journey. 
 
When the Shuttle is retired in 2010, the United States will not have any means to carry astronauts into space until the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle comes on-line, currently anticipated to be March 2015.
 
NASA’s success is weaved into the technological, scientific, economic, and military advantage America currently maintains. The void that would be created by insufficient funding and a lapse in missions by the United States’ civilian space program could have monumental implications for our nation.  
 
Looking back to milestones of the space program, the re-emerging space race in Asia and NASA’s funding crisis further illustrate the point: Never before has there been a more appropriate time to recommit our national resources to manned spaceflight and exploration