Washington, DC – Congressman John Culberson (TX-07) and other Members of Congress sent the following letter to NASA Administrator Bolden requesting a full briefing on his trip to China:
October 15, 2010
Dear Administrator Bolden:
As you know, we have serious concerns about the nature and goals of China’s space program and strongly oppose any cooperation between NASA and China. In light of the short notice and scant information provided before your departure to China, we respectfully request a full briefing with you upon your return.
Specifically, we would like to be briefed on the following aspects of your trip:
- The names and titles of China National Space Administration and China Manned Space Engineering Office representatives you met with;
- Date, time, location, and duration of each meeting;
- Specific topics that were discussed at each meeting;
- Specific accords or follow-up meetings agreed to; and
- All facilities you visited during the trip.
Most importantly, we would like personal assurance that at no time during your trip there were any discussions of cooperation on human space flight activities. In addition, we want a guarantee from you that Members of Congress will be fully briefed before Chinese representatives visit the U.S. in November and before you or any other NASA representative travels to China in the future. China’s intentions for its space program are questionable at best, and the American public deserves full disclosure about any discussions between that country and ours.
We look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
John Culberson
Member of Congress
Frank Wolf
Member of Congress
Robert Aderholt
Member of Congress
Dana Rohrabacher
Member of Congress
