[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 100 (Thursday, July 27, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S7905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Bond, and Mr. 
        Hollings):
  S. 2988. A bill to establish a National Commission on Space; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.


              millennium national commission on space act

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Millennium National 
Commission on Space Act.
  The year 1999 proved to be very difficult for NASA. The Commerce 
Committee reviewed reports on such incidents as:
  Workers searching for misplaced Space Station tanks in a landfill;
  Loose pins in the Shuttle's main engine;
  Failure to make English-metric conversions causing the failure of a 
$125 million mission to Mars;
  Two-time use of ``rejected'' seals on Shuttle's turbopumps;
  $1 billion of cost overruns on the prime contract for the Space 
Station with calls from the Inspector General at NASA for improvement 
in the agency's oversight;
  Workers damaging the main antennae on the Shuttle for communication 
between mission control and the orbiting Shuttle;
  Urgent repair mission to the Hubble telescope;
  Approximately $1 billion invested in an experimental vehicle and 
currently no firm plans for its first flight, if it flies at all; and
  The lack of long-term planning for the Space Station, an issue on 
which the Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee of the Commerce 
Committee has repeatedly questioned NASA.
  It is the last of these items, the lack of long-term planning for the 
Space Station and the lack of long-term planning of NASA and the 
civilian space program, that is of a concern to me. I feel that the 
civilian space program is in need of some guidance. Just as the space 
policy of the 1980's had changed since the creation of NASA in 1958, 
the space policy of the New Millennium needs to change from the 1980's.
  Space has become more commercialized. Today, the private sector 
conducts more space launches than the government. There are many more 
companies developing plans to implement other new and innovative 
commercial ventures.
  I feel that the long term civilian space goals and objectives of the 
nation are in need of some major revisions. As I mentioned earlier, 
today's environment has changed drastically since the last commission 
of this type was assembled.
  This bill proposes a Presidential Commission to address these points. 
The commission will do the ``homework'' that will form the basis for a 
revised civilian space program. The civilian space industry has proven 
to be a valuable national asset over the years. The goal of this bill 
will be to ensure that the U.S. maintains its preeminence in space.
  This commission will consist of 15 Members appointed by the President 
based upon the recommendations of Congressional leadership. My hope is 
that today's new environment will be reflected in the make-up of the 
commission's members. For that reason, the bill sets limits on how many 
members shall be from the government and how many should serve on their 
first federal commission. Ex-officio members of the commission are also 
specified in the bill. Advisory members from the Senate and the House 
of Representatives are to be appointed to the commission by the 
President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives.
  The final report of the commission is to identify the long range 
goals, opportunities, and policy options for the U.S. civilian space 
activity for the next 20 years.
  As Chairman of the Science, Technology and Space Subcommittee of the 
Commerce Committee, I will continue our oversight responsibilities at 
NASA. I look forward to working with other Members of this body to 
further perfect this bill.
  Mr. President, I thank you for this opportunity to introduce this 
legislation which addresses these very important issues for the space 
community.
  Mr. BREAUX. Mr. President, as the Ranking Democratic Member of the 
Commerce Committee's Science, Technology, and Space Supcommittee, I am 
joining my Chairman, Senator Frist, in introducing legislation to 
establish a National Space Commission.
  If past experience holds true, NASA will be a catalyst for scientific 
discovery in this new century. In the past year, NASA has worked on a 
variety of valuable projects from finding a value for the Hubble 
Constant which measures how fast the universe is expanding to docking 
with the International Space Station for the very first time. Earlier 
this week, NASA and the Russian Space Agency completed the docking of 
the Service Module to the International Space Station, setting the 
stage for the first permanent crew to occupy the station.
  Now, our space exploration agency is poised at a crossroads. After 
several failures, management has made some changes and reinvested in 
the work force and in project oversight. During the next year, NASA 
will try to meet a very aggressive schedule for the assembly of the 
Space Station, and we will finally have our orbiting laboratory in 
space. At the same time, a new Administration will be entering the 
White House. It seems to be an appropriate moment to stand back and ask 
where our space program is going in the next twenty years.
  Now is the time to look to the future. The Millennium National Space 
Commission will build on the work of the 1985 National Space Commission 
and help us formulate an agenda for the civilian space program. In 
doing so, it will help keep this nation in the forefront of scientific 
exploration of ``the final frontier.''
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