[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 94 (Friday, June 9, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8121-S8122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                          JOHNSON SPACE CENTER

 Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I wish to have printed in the 
Record a resolution of the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 
regarding the mission of the Johnson Space Center [JSC] and the United 
States' leadership in space technology and exploration.
  Recently, NASA undertook an extensive review to identify $5 billion 
in budget savings. I commend NASA for conducting this painstaking and 
conscientious review. However, I was alarmed when this review team 
preliminarily recommended moving the shuttle, orbiter, and space 
station engineering division out of JSC. NASA additionally proposed 
moving JSC's Shuttle Program Management Office and Orbiter Project 
Management Office. However, after thorough examination of these 
proposals, NASA concurred with many in the space community--including 
former astronauts--and found these transfers neither cost-effective nor 
in the best interests of NASA's space exploration mission.
  The combination of engineering, operations, and flight personnel at 
JSC has proven its value. The crew of Apollo 13 owes their lives to 
their own courage and skill--and to the team at JSC that was able to 
find a way out of a critical spacecraft failure and implement that 
life-saving solution in real-time. It was the synergies, efficiencies, 
and problem-solving abilities of this combination of capabilities that 
lead NASA to designate JSC as host center for the space station 2 years 
ago.
  Maintaining the JSC model, with some budgetary streamlining, will 
yield necessary program savings while preserving much-needed stability 
in [[Page S8122]] NASA's research and development mission. With 
essential human spacecraft engineering functions preserved in 
combination with mission operations, I am confident that NASA will be 
able to respond to the complexities--budgetary, scientific, and 
operational--that are inherent to human exploration of space in the 
next century.
  The material follows:

                    House Concurrent Resolution 188

       Whereas, Texas is proud to be home to the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Johnson Space 
     Center and is a state where thousands of Texans have taken 
     part in NASA's goals, vision, missions, and accomplishments 
     in furthering space exploration; and
       Whereas, The approach of an integrated design and 
     development team concept implemented at Johnson Space Center 
     has a proven record of accomplishment in the Mercury, Gemini, 
     Appolo, and Shuttle programs, and the International Space 
     Station program was purposely located at Johnson Space Center 
     to take advantage of the integrated product team concept that 
     has been so successful in previous NASA programs; and
       Whereas, The human space integration mission at Johnson 
     Space Center, including spacecraft engineering, space shuttle 
     operations program management, the shuttle orbiter project, 
     and science programs, are vital to NASA's human space 
     program; and
       Whereas, A proposed plan developed by NASA to consolidate 
     operations portends an action that would severely impact 
     Johnson Space Center and the Texas economy; and
       Whereas, If the proposal is implemented, Texas stands to 
     lose thousands of primary and secondary jobs associated with 
     the aerospace industry and Johnson Space Center, thousands of 
     secondary, retail, and support jobs, and a significant share 
     of investment opportunities and associated investment 
     benefits; and
       Whereas, Texas was affected negatively as a consequence of 
     NASA's 1994 restructuring, downsizing, and space station 
     redesign at Johnson Space Center; and
       Whereas, Texas support the general goal of reducing 
     government waste and jobs; how the goal is achieved in the 
     case of NASA's proposed reorganization is a key point that 
     needs clarification; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to review 
     fully NASA's proposed reorganization plan and to analyze the 
     cost/benefit of the plan, including proposed mission 
     transfers and relocations, with the purpose of preserving and 
     protecting the United States' leadership in space technology 
     and exploration; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the administrator of 
     the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, to the 
     President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House 
     of Representatives and President of the Senate of the United 
     States Congress, and to all members of the Texas 
     congressional delegation with the request that it be 
     officially entered in the Congressional Record of the United 
     States of America.
     

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