[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 76 (Thursday, June 3, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3759-H3767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ADVANCING FRONTIERS OF SCIENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to appear here on 
the House floor today to join with the majority leader and Members of 
Congress who will be with me here today to express our strong support 
for maintaining America's leadership role in the exploration of outer 
space, and our leadership role in advancing the frontiers of science, 
to demonstrate through the examples we will give today and the 
presentations that we have of the many, many tangible ways in which the 
mission of NASA, our leadership in the exploration of space, and 
America's leadership in the advancement of the frontiers of science 
have touched and changed the lives of Americans individually, and 
advanced the freedom and prosperity of the Nation and the world as a 
whole.
  Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to recognize the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Calvert).
  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support NASA's new vision 
for our continued exploration of the universe. Forty-three years ago, 
President John F. Kennedy laid out a vision of space exploration that 
became a reality 8 years later when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the 
Moon. With the Apollo missions, America led the world in space 
exploration and propelled decades of technological and biological 
research that continue to benefit us to this day.
  Four decades later, President George W. Bush offered the Nation 
another bold and challenging vision of space exploration that will keep 
America economically, technologically, and militarily strong. Congress 
needs to support this mission so we can work with NASA to achieve the 
goal of returning Americans to the Moon and sending astronauts to Mars 
and beyond.
  NASA's new space exploration vision comes at a time when America 
faces increased competition from other nations. Aside from Russia, the 
People's Republic of China now has an ambitious space flight program. 
China has already launched a spacecraft into low-Earth orbit and is 
intent on developing a manned aerospace and lunar exploration program.
  We need to return the Space Shuttle to flight, complete the 
International Space Station, and extend our presence across the solar 
system by developing a new crew exploration vehicle.
  Space exploration not only advances the Nation's vision. It provides 
jobs, growth and opportunity to millions of American workers. Being the 
leader in space flight also makes America the leader in commercial 
research and development. The end of the last century witnessed rapid 
advances in science and technology that could only have been 
accomplished by astronauts conducting research in space. Microgravity 
experiments on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station 
led to the creation of next-generation silicon computer chips and laser 
communication. Experiments on the Shuttle in the early 1990s fostered 
the development of a manufacturing process known as liquid phase 
centering that is now being used to produce over $20 billion worth of 
products in the United States.

[[Page H3760]]

  Human space flight stimulates our economy and increases our global 
competitiveness. A new vision must be launched if we are to maintain 
our lead in space and ensure our viability as a Nation for decades to 
come. Like it or not, other nations are sending their citizens into 
space and seeking to reap the rewards of those journeys.
  In an ever-changing and more unpredictable world, we cannot afford to 
cede our leadership role in space. We have come too far and paid too 
high a price to turn our backs on the future. Supporting NASA's new 
space exploration vision and a reasonable investment in NASA's budget 
this year will keep us on a path toward our nation's destiny.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Calvert). It is important that he mentioned that the nation of 
China has an aggressive space program. They have set a goal of going to 
the Moon. It reminds me that centuries ago, the Chinese had one of the 
greatest fleets in the world. The emperor who built that great fleet, 
composed of ships, I understand, that any one of which could have 
sailed up the Thames River prior to Columbus' discovery of America and 
conquered all of England because of their superiority in fire power and 
the maneuverability of the ships. That emperor who built that fleet 
died, and the succeeding emperor decided to keep China focused on 
itself and burned the fleet at the docks in order to keep the Chinese 
focused inward. As a result, the Chinese lost that great advantage they 
had in the exploration of the seas, and ceded not only control, they 
basically lagged far behind the rest of the world in technology, 
exploration, and freedom.
  Mr. CALVERT. The gentleman is correct. Not only did the 
aforementioned emperor burn the fleet, if I remember correctly, he was 
the one that first ordered the construction of the wall to insulate 
themselves from the rest of the world. That insulation stayed for some 
centuries, and they put themselves way back in the pecking order of the 
world. The Chinese now are trying to catch up. They are putting a lot 
of their national treasure and expertise into outer space.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, the Chinese recognize the importance of 
reaching outward to the nations in not only exploration, but of the 
tremendous technological benefits to the nation as a whole, and of 
commerce with other nations. The American people understand that the 
advancement of exploration of space, the advancement of the frontiers 
of science bring benefits to us individually and promote the cause of 
freedom.
  Mr. CALVERT. In the 1950s, it was the Russians that first went into 
outer space with Sputnik. That launched a new generation of young 
people to go into engineering, science, and technology. Those folks 
were the backbone of what was the Gemini and the Apollo programs. It 
was a great part of our history as we went to the Moon and did some 
wonderful things in outer space.
  As the gentleman well knows, in recent times we have starved our 
science budget. We are not doing as good a job as we should be doing in 
space exploration, which helped us bring along the personal computer, 
the types of equipment that we see in our cars that can tell us where 
we are at any moment, all of these amazing technologies that we just 
count on. The gentleman is correct, if we do not continue this 
investment, we are going to be behind in the world, and other nations 
are going to be ahead of us.
  Mr. CULBERSON. It is truly only the Federal Government with the 
resources we have available to pour into scientific research, much of 
the work that scientists do, much of the work that NASA does, the Jet 
Propulsion Laboratory, the magnificent discoveries that have been made 
at JPL in California, a part of NASA, have been as a result of the 
dedicated support of this Congress and of the United States to put the 
resources, the commitment necessary to run down a lot of the rabbit 
trails that are necessary. There may be some dead ends there. There are 
going to be failures and setbacks. Exploration is dangerous; it is 
hard. Pushing the frontiers of knowledge is hard and requires a 
commitment that each and every American shares in their heart and they 
are counting on us to be there, to give the people at NASA, at JPL, and 
our scientists the support that they need.
  Mr. CALVERT. We are a Nation of pioneers. We are a Nation that 
explores the unknown, and science gives us the ability to go to outer 
space. Really, outside of the oceans of our Earth, which we continue to 
explore, space is the next frontier that has unlimited exploration and 
unlimited discoveries that can help us on this Earth and make us 
literally the leader of the world for many centuries to come.
  Mr. CULBERSON. I know the gentleman has seen partnerships in 
California, as we have in Texas, between NASA and our universities. The 
research that is done between NASA and our universities has yielded 
tangible benefits in medical technology and in so many different ways.
  We are going to be on this floor talking about those benefits which 
have touched the lives of individual Americans, particularly in the 
area of medicine, which the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon) who has 
just joined us, is so familiar with.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Weldon) to 
join us in this colloquy to lay out the benefits individually and 
collectively as a Nation that have come to us from the exploration of 
space and the work that NASA is doing.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to be here and 
join the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) and the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Calvert).
  Space is important to the future of our country. We are a Nation of 
pioneers. We are a Nation of explorers. We lead the world in science 
and technology. Everywhere I go as I travel around the United States, I 
see images at schools, at universities, and in airports of our space 
program. Frequently I will see pictures or images of the Shuttle or of 
our Apollo pioneers; and the reason for that I think is obvious. It is 
in our blood, it is in our nature.
  Indeed, the gentleman mentioned I am a physician and practiced 
medicine for 15 years before I was elected, and I still see patients 
once a month at the VA clinic in my congressional district; and I 
always marvel at the daily application of space technology, spin-off 
technologies directly from our Shuttle program, from our Apollo 
program, even from some of our unmanned probes.

                              {time}  1600

  I have a contractor in my congressional district who has taken the 
NASA coolant technology used to cool the systems in these planetary 
probes that we use and has placed it in car and home air conditioner 
units and believes he can improve the efficiency of these air 
conditioner units by as much as 15 percent. The potential savings in 
electricity demand from a product like that, if it is able to yield its 
full potential, could be in the order of hundreds of billions of 
dollars over a period of just a few years. As a matter of fact, if this 
product proved to be as useful as he believes it may be, it could 
potentially pay for the space program several times over.
  Of course, as I was referring to earlier, as a physician we use space 
technology in many of our imaging modalities, like MRI scanning and CAT 
scanning. We use space technology in a lot of our pacemaker 
capabilities, these implantable defibrillators. Indeed, even the 
prosthetic devices, such as artificial limbs, some of the materials 
science that goes into those devices are actually spin-off benefits of 
the space program.
  So I rise today to join my colleagues in speaking out in support of 
the national space initiative that I think President Bush so eloquently 
laid out in his speech at NASA headquarters several months ago.
  It is really critical that we move ahead with this agenda, because 
one of the problems that I found within NASA from virtually the moment 
of my arrival is there was not really a clear agenda of where NASA was 
going. NASA had a very clear agenda when John F. Kennedy originally 
articulated it, I believe he was at Rice University, if I am not 
mistaken, in his famous speech, ``We go to the moon not because it is 
easy, but because it is hard,'' and NASA had a clear agenda of getting 
a man on the moon. But since that time it has been a little unclear.
  Now the President has laid out very clearly an agenda, and I want to 
underscore for all my colleagues in the

[[Page H3761]]

House of Representatives and the other body, this is an affordable 
agenda. Some people have ridiculed this as costing $1 trillion and 
being impossible to do.
  But with the tragic loss of Columbia, I think it has been clear and 
obvious to everyone that, for our manned space flight program to 
continue, we need to come up with a replacement for the space shuttle 
in the years ahead. We cannot continue to rely on this system. It has 
been a great system, but it is down now, it could go down again in the 
future, and when it goes down, we are dependent on the Russians for the 
support and service of the Space Station.
  So the President has laid out I think an affordable initiative to 
come up with a replacement vehicle for the space shuttle, but this 
vehicle would not just go and from low earth orbit, like the space 
shuttle does, but it would have the flexibility to be able to go back 
to the moon, to go on to Mars, and it can support the Space Station in 
the years ahead.
  Importantly included in this vision as well is the priority of 
reorienting the Space Station research. There have been a lot of people 
who have questioned what the purpose of the Space Station is, and the 
President has clearly put forward in his national initiative the vision 
of saying that we are going to focus the Space Station research on 
answering a lot of these questions about biological sciences in terms 
of how people live and work in space.
  As a physician, I know a fair amount about this. If you look at 
people who go up to the Space Station and spend 3 or 6 months there, 
when they come back, they frequently have problems standing up in the 
gravitational field of the Earth, they have problems with anemia, there 
are problems with bone loss, there are problems with blood loss, 
actually, something called the hemoglobin hematocrit decline in the 
setting of a prolonged space exposure. So we need a better 
understanding of that if we are ever to go to Mars and if we are ever 
to go beyond Mars and if we are going to create a permanent presence in 
space, such as on the moon.
  Now, the President's vision does call for going back to the moon and 
going on to Mars, but he lays out an initiative I think in a way that 
calls for international cooperation, so that this would be something 
that is affordable.
  The most important thing that I want to say tonight in this dialogue 
with my colleagues here is that some Members of the House of 
Representatives have criticized the budget request from the President 
as it relates to NASA and feel that we should not go to Mars, and 
therefore we need to reduce this budget request. But I just want to 
underscore the bulk of the President's request is to get the shuttle 
flying again and to complete construction of the Space Station.
  To say we want to cut NASA now is to basically to say, well, we do 
not want to fly the shuttle again, and we do not want to complete the 
Space Station construction. I do not think in any way there is a 
majority of colleagues here in this body who are saying that we do not 
want to do those things.
  So we need to put the resources behind NASA, I think, so that they 
can move ahead with getting the shuttle flying again safely and getting 
the Space Station completed. We have international partners.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, reclaiming my time, if we could have a 
little colloquy, it is important to point out to the American people 
and to the fellow Members of Congress that the President's vision which 
he laid out so eloquently and so clearly for the future of space 
exploration in this Nation is simply moving money largely within NASA's 
budget, preprogramming $11 billion within NASA's existing, projected 
budget to achieve this vision. The vision itself only calls for an 
additional $1 billion over the next 5 years in spending above the 
fiscal year 2004 budget.
  It is important to keep in perspective, as the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Weldon) so correctly pointed out, that at the time of Apollo, the 
Nation committed 4 percent of our budget, 4 percent of the Federal 
budget, was committed to the Apollo program. Yet today what the 
President is asking for is simply less than 1 percent of the Federal 
budget to be invested in the exploration of space and pushing the 
frontiers of science.

  Mr. CALVERT. As my friend from Texas understands also, this is about 
transformation. This is a time of transformation in the military. It is 
a time of transformation for NASA, to become refocused upon their 
primary mission; and their primary mission, I think we all agree, is 
the exploration of outer space. This is a great opportunity for this 
country to once again get back to our national dream of space 
exploration.
  As the gentleman from Florida mentioned, whether or not we can afford 
this, I would say we cannot afford not to. The type of technologies 
that we have been able to share with this country that have come out of 
the space program are irreplaceable.
  Look what we are doing with energy. The gentleman mentioned energy. 
Solar. We look at solar as a renewable resource. I cannot think of many 
folks that have done more work on solar research than NASA, because of 
what we use solar for today, to help get the energy that is necessary 
to keep the station going.
  The fuel cell technology really started with NASA. Hydrogen 
technology, fuel cell technology, that gives us a clean source of 
energy, some people really believe the next generation of energy that 
will sustain this country as we move away from an oil-based economy.
  Communications, where would we be without our cell phones? Sometimes 
I wonder. But it is those satellites up there that keep us 
communicating with one another.
  All of the types of technologies that come from this fantastic 
investment, and I say ``investment'' in the true sense, the return on 
this, I do not think of many things we do in government that we get a 
higher return than what we do with the money we put in this.
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. If the gentleman would yield on that, there is 
another interesting aspect of that, and I think it is really an 
unmeasurable return on the investment.
  One of the things I have been most intrigued by when I talk to 
teachers, and I have had conversations with teachers from all over this 
country on this issue, as many people know, we have a problem with not 
enough young people going into math and sciences. If you go to many of 
our colleges and universities, the bulk of the graduate students are 
foreigners.
  If you talk to our teachers in our schools, they will tell you the 
thing that gets people most motivated to study math and science, young 
kids, what excites young kids in the third grade and the fourth grade 
and the sixth grade to really hunker down and study math and science, 
more than any other subject, it is the space program. When you take the 
science teaching, math teaching, and apply it to the space program, the 
teachers tell me it gets them excited.
  How do you put a price tag on that? How do you measure that? You are 
talking about our competitiveness. Where are we creating jobs? We are 
creating jobs in the technology arenas. But if we are losing ground on 
technology because our young people are not studying those fields, then 
that can affect our whole economy. And how do you put a dollar value on 
that?
  I think the gentleman is absolutely right, and he said it best, we 
cannot afford not to invest in NASA. It is one of the wisest 
investments that we can make in this body, because it is an investment 
in our future.
  I would be very happy to yield to the majority leader. I am so 
pleased for the support the gentleman has supplied NASA over the years. 
It is great to have the gentleman with us.
  Mr. DeLAY. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman yielding, and I 
really appreciate his holding this special order, because it is so 
important to continue this debate on the President's vision, and this 
is a perfect way to do that, and I appreciate the gentleman from 
California and the gentleman from Texas and their comments.
  If I could just make my comments, for four decades the men and women 
of NASA have done the impossible. Whether conquering Earth's gravity, 
or shooting the moon, or studying the vast expanse of space or just 
beyond our atmosphere, NASA has taken on every challenge put to it and 
succeeded. We owe them our thanks, and we owe them our loyalty.

[[Page H3762]]

  But as valuable as the research NASA has conducted over the last two 
decades has been, both in its application in space and here on Earth, 
the time has come for NASA to once again dare mighty things. The 
President's vision asks them to do just that, to return the space 
shuttle to flight, to complete the International Space Station, to 
return to the moon and ultimately launch a manned mission to Mars.
  The President's vision is bold, practical and consistent with 
America's tradition of leading mankind's journey into the unknown.
  Now the only way this Nation could in good conscience walk away from 
our historic legacy in space, from the legacy of John Glenn, Allen 
Sheppard and Neil Armstrong, is if we determine that space exploration 
is no longer worth it, not worth America's expense, not worth America's 
risk, not worth America's time.
  If the time had indeed come when mankind, and specifically the United 
States of America, had gotten out of space everything it could hope 
for, then I would be the first in line to declare victory over the 
unknown and move on to something else. But, of course, nothing of the 
sort is true. America's space program is not merely a choice but a 
mission in our national interests and in the interests of all nations.
  Not worth the expense? Consider the value of the satellite 
technologies that we use to communicate which have become the basis of 
our national defense of this Nation; of touch tone and cellular phones; 
of global positioning technologies now employed in Iraq and Afghanistan 
to win the war on terror; of magnetic resonance imaging, which has 
revolutionized medicine; the automatic insulin pump, which has saved 
and improved millions of lives; or the portable X-ray machine.
  Madam Speaker, our economy, our national defense and our ability to 
communicate with each other and the world, for that matter, would 
simply be unrecognizable to us without the expensive space travel paid 
for by previous generations of Americans.
  Not worth the risk? Exploration, mankind's inherent curiosity and 
will to discover the truth, not worth the risk? Such thinking, Madam 
Speaker would have left Columbus in Spain, Magellan in Portugal and 
Lewis and Clark in Virginia.
  The history of mankind is not a matter of advance despite the risks, 
but advance, in a sense, because of them. Of course, space travel is 
risky. It is the most dangerous enterprise in history but also the 
greatest adventure.
  If space travel were easy, everyone would be doing it. We are lucky, 
lucky despite the hardships and tragedies that we have endured, to have 
been chosen by history and providence to live in a nation with the 
collective wealth and courage to meet such harrowing challenges, to 
live such an adventure. And no one knows this more than our astronauts, 
all of whom would gladly take on those challenges, and many more, for 
the opportunity to serve this Nation and all mankind in this endeavor.
  Now I concede that space travel is risky, but so is anything worth 
doing, and the risk involved in turning our backs on space far outweigh 
the risk of advancing further into it, which is why questions about the 
President's timing are the least viable. We are at war, we are told, 
and facing a budget crunch. Come back when times are rosier, and then 
we can look at space again.

                              {time}  1615

  But, Madam Speaker, the President's assertion that the time is now 
for America to reestablish its space program is not only correct; it is 
urgent. We are at war, just as we were when Neil Armstrong walked on 
the Moon.
  The budget is constricted; but for 4 decades, America's mission in 
space has been one of the surest economic investments the Federal 
Government has made. Rocketry, satellite technology, cellular 
telephony, the MRI, all of these were direct benefits of the space 
program, solutions to problems found in space. And they are just the 
tip of the iceberg of the knowledge that we have discovered and a 
subtle foreshadowing of what we will learn.
  There is simply no telling what new innovations await our Nation, our 
economy, our health care, our national defense, when NASA's engineers 
begin staring down even larger problems of long-term space flight. What 
will a fully constructed international space station discover during 
its intensive research on bioastronautics? What engineering and medical 
miracles will be created to compensate for an astronaut's prolonged 
exposure to radiation and microgravity? What new materials and devices 
will be forged in the development of a new crew exploration vehicle? 
And what applications will these discoveries have to our life on Earth?
  We cannot answer these questions without first having the courage to 
allow our scientists and engineers at NASA to have at them.
  The President's vision is a bold challenge to each and every one of 
them, and to each and every one of us, to do it again. And when they 
do, Americans of all ages, from seniors who remember a time before 
NASA, to children who never saw an Apollo landing, will come together 
one night in the future, look up in the sky, see that tiny red dot 50 
million miles away, and know that somewhere up there Americans are 
doing the impossible.
  The President's vision is a vision of that night. It is a vision that 
will fulfill the promise of the Mercury Seven and inspire the dreams of 
their grandchildren.
  Generations of scientists and engineers were drawn into their fields 
by the awesome images and historic competition of the space race. It is 
time to reignite the torch of knowledge and push deeper into the 
darkness. Thousands of years to get to Kitty Hawk, and only 66 more to 
get to the Moon.
  The time has come, Madam Speaker, for our Nation to strap itself in 
for the next leg of that journey. We have come too far as a Nation and 
as a world to turn back now. Even as we fight to liberate mankind from 
the oppression of tyranny and terror, we have an opportunity, and I 
believe a calling, to liberate mankind from the ancient oppression of 
ignorance of the unknown that continues to hold us back.
  The answers are a long and difficult road away, but despite the 
costs, risks, and hardship, we can get there from here. Back to space, 
back to the Moon, and on to Mars.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the majority leader, who has so 
eloquently and forcefully set forth the benefits in so many ways to 
this Nation of the President's vision for outer space, of space 
exploration. Because the best evidence I could give in support of what 
the leader has just told us of the value of what the President has set 
forth is to quote Thomas Jefferson in his charge to the Lewis and Clark 
expedition. Two hundred years ago, President Jefferson set forth very 
simply to Meriwether Lewis: ``The object of your mission is to explore 
the Missouri River.'' And that simple charge, that simple direction 
from the President of the United States to explore the Missouri River 
has led to the expansion of the United States to the Pacific Ocean and 
the innumerable benefits that flowed from that.
  Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Calvert).
  Mr. CALVERT. Madam Speaker, just in closing, I would like to point 
out that in this very building, we were in a conflict between the 
States and the President at that time. Abraham Lincoln made a 
determination that the business of the Union would go forward, and the 
dome of this very building was completed during the Civil War. The 
business of this Nation moves forward. As a matter of fact, the 
underpinnings of the great railroad that bound this Nation together was 
done while Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States while the 
Civil War was raging across this Nation, but the business of the 
Republic moved forward.
  So to say that we should stop the exploration of outer space for 
whatever reason is not a good reason, and I thank the gentleman for 
holding this Special Order.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Madam Speaker, as the majority leader said, the 
exploration of space is hard; it is a difficult task. Pushing the 
frontiers of science forward is also. The support of NASA is a cause 
that knows no political boundaries.
  I am pleased to be joined by my colleague and neighbor, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee); and I

[[Page H3763]]

am pleased to yield to her at this time so that she may express in her 
own words her view of the importance of the mission of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration's mission to maintain America's 
leadership role in outer space.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished 
gentleman from Texas, and I am very glad that it is acknowledged that 
the idea of exploration, the idea of being a pioneer is not only Texan, 
but it is American and it is bipartisan. So I am delighted to be able 
to join my colleague not only in support, but also in raising the 
probative questions that need to be raised as we look at the vision 
that has been put forward in going to Mars and to the Moon.
  First of all, it is exciting to see the amount of energy that has 
been generated by many of our advocates and supporters, particularly 
the entities that are engaged in research and space exploration as to 
the kind of thinking that is going on, the kind of vehicle that would 
be appropriate. I believe that it is important to note that our 
astronauts class is still one of the most sought-after opportunities, 
educational opportunities. In fact, I just met 2 days ago the first 
Puerto Rican astronaut who will be joining us in Houston sometime in 
August. That class was recently graduated, and I believe there are 600 
or more that applied and only a few were able to obtain that particular 
high honor.
  So I come to the floor today to indicate that the mission as 
evidenced by the administration is a bold new mission for NASA and that 
it only ensures a new life. I know that we are compelled to think about 
the issues of the day, whether it is Iraq or Afghanistan, whether or 
not it is the choices we have to make in the appropriations and 
budgeting process; but I have confidence in the American will and 
desire and in this Congress. I for one would hope that we would 
recognize that choices have to be made that require us to invest. As my 
good friend knows, we may have different opinions on tax cuts and other 
uses of our resources, but I hope that we will not couch this effort as 
borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. I hope that we will recognize that 
these goals are particularly important, as it provides opportunities 
for our young people in math and science, as it provides opportunity 
for reaching man's limits, and as well, it provides opportunity for the 
research that has been helpful to us in the past.

  When I came to this Congress, we found it very difficult to pass the 
NASA budget, but we began to turn our attention to the American people. 
We began to educate and visit the schools and highlight the value of 
NASA and space exploration, and I like to call it the National 
Aeronautics Space Agency; but, more importantly, most of us know 
Johnson or Marshall or Kennedy, anyone who has had the privilege of 
seeing a launching of one of our very fine human space shuttles, they 
know the excitement and the exhilaration that comes with it, but more 
importantly, they know how it impacts our lives. We have seen a decided 
improvement in cancer research, HIV research, stroke and heart disease 
because of our ability to go into space.
  We also know that man has pushed our own human limits, men and women, 
because of the ability to live on the international space station. The 
international space station has been one of our greatest 
accomplishments where people are actually living in space. So the idea 
of stopping off at the international space station and then going on to 
the Moon and Mars is something that is both understandable and 
achievable.
  Might I say to my good friends, however, that there are certain 
elements that we must have a bipartisan expression of, and that, of 
course, is the idea of making sure that we have the resources to invest 
in this plan. We need to have the administration delineate for us the 
precise dollars that we will utilize; and, of course, we want to know, 
which is one of the difficulties, I say to my good friend from Texas, 
that we are facing is people have their advocacies, whether it is basic 
research, whether it is unmanned space exploration. We have to ensure 
that NASA remains whole and that again, we do not implode the 
department and take from them, but to foster the space exploration, so 
we must work together in a bipartisan way to ensure that.
  The other thing that we must do is the question of safety. I am 
looking forward to very productive hearings, bipartisan hearings, that 
will make sure that we have the T's crossed and the I's dotted, and 
that we look in a combined way at space safety legislation to make sure 
that when we send people into space that we can assure the American 
people that every single I is dotted and every T is crossed.
  I know that the commission that has just met in New York is going to 
give us a 10-point report. I hope that we do not kill the messenger, 
that we will look at this 10-point report and be able to go down one by 
one and step by step to ensure that it is followed.
  Let me also say that the people going to space are heroes. How many 
of us remember John Glenn, growing up with him? We do not want to tell 
our ages, but how many remember growing up with John Glenn? How many 
remember the challenge that President John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave to 
us: the stars in our eyes, the stars in the eyes of children to come? 
How many of us have ever had the chance to meet an astronaut, as I 
have, having them come into my congressional district? And do my 
colleagues know that at my annual Christmas party, the astronauts are 
more famous and popular than Santa Claus? How about that? So we realize 
that they can provide an impetus of excitement.
  Might I just say that I want to thank you and a number of Members who 
provided me with 320 cosponsors, as an aside, to honor those heroes who 
went into space on Columbia Seven. Let their heroism be not a sign or a 
statement to close down the space exploration; but as their family 
members have said, let it be a challenge, if you will, to continue it 
in a more safe and positive way.
  I look forward to us generating the kind of space vehicle and the 
kind of space power, if you will, of the kinds of humans trained to go 
to Mars and to the Moon, to do it in a unique and very special way. But 
I remind my colleagues that we must as well work with the 
administration on an agenda that will give us the kind of roadmap that 
will take us through this process.
  So I am delighted to be able to come not only to provide support, but 
to ask the hard questions and to make sure that most are aware that we 
are going to ask the hard questions of budget, of investment, making 
sure that we do not take from needed programs that I know that the 
gentleman supports along with many others, such as housing and 
education and health care, but that this investment is one that puts 
America just where it needs to be: at the front of the line, on the 
cutting-edge of science and research that will ultimately open not only 
the doors and minds of future mathematicians and scientists, but also 
it will open the doors to physicians and cardiologists and those 
dealing with kidney disease, because we will be able to do the kind of 
research there that may open the doors to better health for America, as 
well as a better quality of life for all Americans.
  I thank the distinguished gentleman for holding this Special Order, 
and I hope that when we see each other next, we will be working on a 
definitive space exploration program that all of our colleagues will 
find virtue in and will be able to support in a bipartisan manner.
  Mr. Speaker, thank you for calling this hearing to discuss the future 
of NASA's mission in space, and to understand how the President's new 
budget fits in that picture. NASA is at a great turning point. Our work 
here today, and in the upcoming months, could determine if in a 
century, our kids' kids' kids will be exploring Mars, or if they will 
be walking through a museum, learning about how long, long ago 
Americans used to boldly explore the heavens.
  I would like to join you in welcoming Dr. Marburger and Administrator 
O'Keefe. I commend them for their work so far, in keeping us informed 
on the President's new initiative for human-space flight. Successfully 
crafting the new mission for NASA will take unprecedented cooperation 
between the Administration, and Congress, and the private sector, and 
the American people. I thank the gentlemen for coming today. We must 
keep this dialogue going.
  First, I would like to commend the President for articulating his 
bold new vision for NASA's future. We have much work to do to ensure 
that we fine tune that plan, to make sure it fits our goals 
scientifically, meets our responsibilities, and works within our means 
in a tough

[[Page H3764]]

economy. Unfortunately, we are in a time of tight budgets, due to 
horrible financial mismanagement by this Administration over the past 
three years. But space exploration is not about FY05, or even about 5-
year projections. It is about an ongoing quest that captures people's 
minds and hearts, drives our technology to the cutting edge, and pushes 
our economy forward. We cannot afford to abandon progress in space 
every time we fall on challenging times. If we allow NASA to follow a 
boom-bust cycle, it will never have a committed workforce with the 
expertise and experience necessary to do great things.

  So, I feel we must move forward boldly, but not so boldly that we 
allow the program to collapse under its own weight. We must be safe, 
and we must be prudent in making methodical steps, to the moon, to 
Mars, and beyond.
  For example, it is exciting to think of building the next generation 
vehicle, and to retire the space shuttle. But if we are on schedule to 
decommission the shuttle in 2010, and then fall behind on the schedule 
to replace it due to shifting budget priorities, we could be caught in 
a very tough place. We may lose access to the International Space 
Station that we have invested so much in. We could start losing quality 
NASA employees to the private sector or to retirement, and lose their 
institutional memory as well. That could make it very difficult to 
restart a viable program in the future.
  Of course, I am especially interested in how this new mission will 
affect Johnson Space Center near my district in Houston. As the hub of 
the manned space program over the years, Houston has so much to offer 
this new mission. However, instability as old programs give way to new, 
could be detrimental to the space community and the city as a whole.
  And finally I am concerned about safety. Since the Columbia tragedy, 
we are all working together to re-focus on safety--improving the NASA 
safety ``culture'' as some call it. We still have much work to do on 
that. We need to make substantial improvement before we turn all of our 
thoughts to new things. However, space exploration is good and needed, 
and I am looking forward to a clear road map from the administration.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas, because 
support of NASA, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, America's exploration 
of space, and keeping our leadership in space is indeed something that 
we can work on in a bipartisan way, because this is truly an American 
and Texan endeavor, to be at the frontiers of exploration.
  My colleague is right about the popularity and importance of NASA's 
exploration to the average American. The NASA Web site, in fact, has 
had more hits on it than any Web site in history in a shorter period of 
time. NASA is now at over 10 billion hits on their Web site, in large 
part due to the spectacular success of the Mars exploration Rover 
program and the scientists at NASA. JPL, Steve Squires, all deserve our 
thanks and our sincere congratulations for their magnificent 
achievement in pulling together this extraordinary complicated mission 
of landing two rovers in completely separate parts of Mars to bring 
that program together in such a short period of time, to have it 
achieve such spectacular success so flawlessly. They deserve our 
congratulations and our admiration for what they have achieved. They 
are indeed a great inspiration to the Nation, to young people here in 
America and all over the world who recognize the value of not only 
exploring space, but pushing the frontiers of science.

                              {time}  1630

  As the majority leader so eloquently said and as my colleague from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) has pointed out, there are so many different 
technologies that have spun off from NASA that are important.
  It occurred to me as I was listening to the majority leader's very 
eloquent remarks, and my colleague, my neighbor just to the east, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) pointing out NASA's many 
successes, I am reminded of a book we were just reading, my wife and I, 
to our daughter, Caroline Virginia, who is fascinated with Harry 
Houdini, the magician. We were reading a book to Caroline about 
Houdini, and it pointed out Houdini had a hard time succeeding when he 
began as a magician until someone pointed out to him that he was making 
it look too easy. He was so good at what he did that he made it look 
easy. The audience could not really appreciate how difficult it was, 
what he was doing. Houdini took that to heart and began to make his act 
look more difficult.
  I do not want NASA to make it look more difficult, but I think NASA's 
great success at making it look easy at overcoming the spectacular 
hurdles that confront them has been in part perhaps one of the reasons 
that people take NASA's work for granted.
  I would be happy to yield to my colleague.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my colleague makes a very good 
point. I wanted to say that is why those of us on the Committee on 
Science, and certainly he has been working with us, and we have worked 
with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson), the ranking member on the 
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, and before him, of course, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), but there are a number of Texans who 
have been engaged, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), on that 
committee and have had special advocacies. But what we have said is 
that, in addition to what you have been able to announce for us, is 
that NASA also has taken a hard look at safety.
  I think it is important to say to the American people that we are not 
reckless in suggesting that we go to Mars or the moon. We know that we 
will bring about great research and great opportunities, but we also 
realize that it is important, our obligation as the United States 
Congress, to ensure that this is a safe process.
  And might I just also say that we are fortunate that presidents, 
starting, of course, with John F. Kennedy and then Lyndon Baines 
Johnson, have been supportive of the effort in space. We are very lucky 
that it has been an American issue. And that carried forth with William 
Jefferson Clinton and other previous presidents. But, because of that, 
I hope that this Congress takes seriously the idea that we cannot shut 
it down. We must continue it, looking to make it better, but we must 
continue it because it is something that belongs to all of America.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, certainly no better, if I may, no better 
expression of the importance of the mission of NASA and maintaining 
America's leadership role in space, what better expression of that than 
to have my colleague and me here, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson-Lee) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) in complete 
agreement on that.
  I would challenge any Member of the House to show someone with a 
stronger fiscally conservative record than I, looking carefully at the 
dollars we always together, my colleague and I, have been there to 
support NASA, as has the majority leader, who is also our neighbor from 
Houston. There are no political parties, there are no political 
divisions, I think, between us in helping NASA and the jet propulsion 
laboratory and the pride that we feel in their magnificent achievements 
and acknowledging and congratulating them for their spectacular success 
with the Mars Rover and recognizing in less than 1 month that NASA's 
Casini mission will go into orbit around Saturn and shortly thereafter, 
the first of the year, NASA will be landing a European-built lander on 
the surface of Titan, the only other planet in the solar system, a moon 
of Saturn, that has an atmosphere as dense as that of the earth.
  We, both of us, in representing Houston recognize the importance of 
the Texas Medical Center and the work that they do with NASA in so many 
ways has saved lives.
  If I could point out something that I am sure my colleague is 
familiar with, the work that Dr. Michael DeBakey has done using space 
shuttle technology. The shuttle has these huge turbo pumps that are 
required to empty the spacecraft's external tanks of more than 525,000 
gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen in less than 8.5 minutes. Dr. 
DeBakey got together with NASA, with a private team as well, and 
developed the MicroMed-DeBakey ventricular assist device using NASA's 
shuttle technology to pump hydrogen and oxygen out of those fuel tanks, 
to miniaturize that into a device that has kept people alive so they 
could have heart transplants, that have helped people's hearts heal 
so they could avoid a transplant.

  As Dr. Rosenbaum pointed out, the heart pump, the MicroMed-DeBakey 
ventricular assist device, is a perfect blend of NASA engineering and 
medicine. The same laws of physics that

[[Page H3765]]

apply to building and flying a spacecraft apply to building and 
operating a heart pump.
  As Dr. DeBakey said, when you have got intense research going on like 
this, new knowledge is bound to flow from it. I know my colleague has 
seen that benefit as well.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Absolutely. We are very fortunate that we 
have two giants in Texas, both Dr. Benton Cooley and Dr. DeBakey, who 
have established outstanding hospitals, but we know that Dr. DeBakey is 
the founder and originator of MASH, of the MASH unit in World War II.
  But it speaks to the idea of the distinguished gentleman from Texas 
that we are still living and learning, and the ability to be able to do 
this in space or do this kind of research in space gives us a greater 
opportunity to extend the lives of Americans and people around the 
world.
  I think it would be important now just to note for our colleagues 
that this mission is on a timeline that is very crucial. And that is, 
of course, 2008 the crew exploration vehicle which will carry 
astronauts to the moon, we are looking to have scheduled and to make 
its first unmanned test flight. In 2008, the robotic craft will start 
flying to the moon to prepare for human expeditions.
  The reason why I say this is because I understand that you had a 
distinguished gentleman from California on the floor of the House. I 
already mentioned the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) and his 
leadership, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell) and his leadership, 
mentioned the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall). A number of them have 
been on the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, the distinguished 
gentleman from Tennessee. But the reason why I mention the diversity of 
States and the distinguished gentleman from Florida is because this 
should not be looked upon as a sole purview of the great State of 
Texas. But, in fact, there will be opportunities for many, many people 
to be engaged.
  The robotic craft starts flying, as I said, in 2008; 2014 the crew 
exploration vehicle makes its first manned flight; and then 2015 to 
2020 astronauts return to the moon. So we are gradually having a wide-
reaching impact.
  My colleague mentioned it earlier, but I do not know if Americans 
realize one of our greatest international relation efforts has been 
space. China, India, Israel, some of our countries in South America, 
France, and others have been engaged in this process; and we have found 
commonality around space. It is crucial.
  The other thing that I think it does for those of us who represent 
very diverse districts, it provides the teaching tools and the 
incentives so that not only your daughter is excited about what happens 
in space but that we find children who are in inner city schools, 
African Americans and Hispanics and Asians and others, that may not 
view this as an opportunity for them, people from rural America, people 
from Appalachia, if you will, that have not had opportunities to be 
exposed.
  We want their children to be the next pool of astronauts and 
scientists and mathematicians. The only way one does that is you have 
something for them to do. We do not have anything for them to do. We 
cannot expect that they will be engaged in these disciplines, biology, 
chemistry, being doctors like Dr. DeBakey, as my colleague mentioned, 
Dr. Cooley.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, if I might, ignite that spark in their 
heart to know that the United States, the country they are so 
privileged to live in, is a leader in the exploration of space, in 
pushing the frontiers of science, to light that spark in the heart of a 
young person is one of the greatest things that we can do. NASA has 
certainly done that.
  I am probably the most fiscally conservative Member of this House. My 
good friend from Houston knows how carefully I examine every single 
request to spend money that is presented to me as an appropriator. I am 
working diligently to balance the Federal budget. I am a co-author of 
the Balanced Budget Amendment. I want to thank the majority leader, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), and the lead author of the amendment, 
the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Istook), for bringing the balanced 
budget amendment to the floor of this House.
  We need to pay off the national debt, balance the Federal budget. 
When it comes to investing in scientific research and maintaining 
America's leadership role in outer space, both of us, I think between 
the two of us we pretty much cover the political spectrum, recognize 
that NASA, JPL, and scientific research is our national insurance 
policy for the future, prosperity of the country, and it will ignite 
that spark in the hearts of young people. I know my colleague has seen 
that in her district.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would not disagree with my 
colleague at all on that and what that leads to. And I know that I can 
encourage my good friend, in spite of or alongside of his fiscal 
posture that he takes, and do know that he is very staunch in his 
review, as I am very staunch in ensuring the domestic needs of our 
Nation with respect to health and education and housing are as well 
invested in.
  But as we look at space it would be important for our colleagues to 
know that as we fund this effort it sort of generates or springs forth 
opportunities in education, investing in math and science for our young 
people so that we can create the kinds of research experts that will be 
part of this program that my good friend is talking about.
  So there are benefits beyond just a few going into space. It 
generates a whole industry, a whole chemistry between industry and 
between the government in creating jobs that will provide for a very 
strong core of people who understand the very technical aspects, the 
very sophisticated aspects of science and math and chemistry and 
physics which are so very important.
  We never want to lose the cutting edge of being at the very top of 
having that kind of discipline and expertise in our Nation. We never 
want to be a Nation that does not produce something, does not 
manufacture something, is not brilliant enough to create new science. 
That is what NASA provides, that opportunity.
  I would only say, in your wisdom of your own political stand on being 
fiscally responsible, I would also charge you as being a man that has a 
great understanding that America has to invest in order to have 
returns. So we have to make choices. Hopefully, the choice of NASA and 
space exploration does not eliminate our opportunities to invest our 
education and health and other resources.
  So I thank the distinguished gentleman again for bringing us all 
together. I think it is extremely important that our colleagues know 
that we do not stand here only as Texans, that my colleague had 
Floridians and he had Californians and maybe some others that were here 
before me and there are people from Tennessee and individuals from New 
York, our chairman, and so we have people from all over that I hope 
will rally around the idea of space being valuable and having us be at 
the cutting edge of this very valuable program.
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas and look 
forward to working with her to ensure that NASA gets the support it 
needs, that the President's vision that he has laid out so clearly and 
so eloquently for the future of NASA and for the future of scientific 
research in this country, that we give the President's vision the 
support that it deserves.
  As the majority leader so eloquently pointed out earlier, the 
exploration of space is indeed a difficult task; and it will require 
the efforts of every Member of this Congress working together from 
every part of the political spectrum.
  I am so pleased to have the majority leader's leadership on this 
effort, to have the full support of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
DeLay) there, here in the House of Representatives. He understands the 
importance of scientific research, the importance of NASA, the Johnson 
Space Center now being located, of course, in Houston.
  The unity that has been shown here on this floor, between my 
colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), and myself and 
the majority leader in supporting NASA I think speaks volumes of the 
kind of support that I think we will see from this Congress when the 
time comes to get behind NASA.
  Every American out there needs to, I think, express themselves to 
their

[[Page H3766]]

elected officials, to their Members of Congress, just as they have done 
in all the hits they have made on the NASA Web site.
  I would conclude by pointing out that we will continue to be here on 
a regular basis pointing out the benefits of NASA's work over the 
years, the importance of the President's vision, supporting what he has 
laid out for NASA, for the jet propulsion laboratory.

                              {time}  1645

  I would also like to conclude by quoting my hero, Thomas Jefferson, 
who pointed out perhaps the greatest benefit of our investment in 
science. Mr. Jefferson was fond of saying, and it is so very true, that 
the first-born child of science is always freedom.
  With that, I close, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Vision 
for Space Exploration. Since 1969, America has led the world into space 
and it is time to renew that vision. Our ventures into space not only 
keep America at the forefront of exploration and innovation, but they 
also are vital to our economy and our national security. This new 
National Vision sets America on a course toward the Moon and Mars, and 
we should embrace this dream and work to make it a reality.
  In my mind, the first step of this new journey back to the Moon, 
Mars, and beyond, is to return the space shuttle to flight. I say this 
for several important reasons. First, our country made a commitment to 
our international partners that we would complete the construction of 
the International Space Station. Only the space shuttle is capable of 
completing this all-important task. Second, as the preeminent leader in 
human space flight, we cannot afford to sit idle and let other nations 
reap the rewards of our hard work, research, and sacrifice. We know 
that the People's Republic of China has developed a human space flight 
program that encompasses everything from low earth orbit to exploring 
the Moon and Mars. To let our space shuttle fleet, the most 
sophisticated and advanced space craft the world has ever seen, sit 
idle while other nations pass us by would be counter-productive to our 
space program. We must, however temper this thrust to Mars with 
economic realism. While people are more interested today in being able 
to make a trip to the grocery store than go to Mars--we agree that this 
is the time to initiate a sensible, stepping-stone, approach to 
investment in planning and carrying out our long-term mission.
  It is, however, incumbent on us to do all we can to return astronauts 
to space safely. Last year's Columbia disaster underscored the sad 
reality that we have not done enough to ensure crew safety. I authored 
an amendment that was included in last year's NASA funding bill that 
calls for $15 million to be used to solicit the best concepts from the 
aerospace industry and elsewhere to improve shuttle crew survivability. 
It is critical that the Space Shuttle Program continue to improve 
survivability for its remaining service life--including making 
modifications for the crew, such as cabin thermal/structural hardening, 
improved flight suits, and search and rescue capability.
  Meanwhile, as NASA develops the new crew exploration vehicle for 
human space flight, we need to make sure that a viable crew escape 
system for our astronauts is incorporated into the design of the 
spacecraft. I would suggest that if NASA can find the money for a 
multibillion-dollar probe to Jupiter, then it can find the funds to 
make crew survivability a priority. As we implement the new space 
vision, I will work to ensure that NASA fulfills this priority and 
minimizes the risks for our brave men and women who fly our space 
missions. Our hopes and dreams ride with them, and we must do all we 
can, at whatever cost is necessary, to ensure their safety.
  America's space program continues to be an engine for our national 
economy. Exploration brings jobs and technological growth to America. 
Last year, space exploration brought over $3.7 billion in funds to 
universities and businesses in Texas alone. Nearly every State in the 
union benefits from the development of technologies needed to propel 
our space mission. At a time when we are all concerned about jobs 
leaving the United States, supporting NASA makes sense because we are 
providing good jobs for Americans.
  The money that we put into NASA grows exponentially when we consider 
the scientific and technological spinoffs that space exploration 
provides. Experiments conducted on the space shuttle and International 
Space Station expand health research and move us toward cures for some 
of our most threatening diseases. Microgravity experiments in the 1990s 
led to advances in antibiotics to fight infections. These experiments 
also unlocked secrets to protein growth that produced medicines to 
treat patients who have suffered from strokes and to prepare them for 
open-heart surgery. Americans suffering from osteoporosis also benefit 
from bone-density experiments conducted on the International Space 
Station in microgravity environments. These tests accelerated the 
clinical trials of a drug that is expected to be on the market soon. 
From the development of MRI technology to microchips, the scientific 
partnerships between NASA and American universities and companies 
ensure our Nation's viability, increase our Nation's competitiveness, 
and help drive our economy.
  On January 14, 2004, we were pointed toward a new vision for space 
exploration and a renewed commitment to the American dream of reaching 
for new frontiers. For the first time in 40 years, our Nation once 
again has a vision. We owe it to future generations of Americans and 
the men and women who have kept the space mission alive for four 
decades to continue to forge ahead. Congress should approve the modest 
5.6-percent increase in NASA funds this year so that we can continue 
this journey, secure our national interest, and fulfill America's 
destiny in space.
  Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of our Nation's new vision 
for space exploration.
  I represent north Alabama, which is home to NASA's Marshall Space 
Flight Center. Space exploration holds a special place in the hearts of 
my constituents. Marshall and its team designed and developed the 
Saturn launch vehicles which sent our Nation on its last inspiring 
journey to the Moon. I remember that journey--it was an exciting time 
for north Alabama, and it was an exciting time for our Nation.
  Last year, I was one of 101 House Members who wrote a bipartisan 
letter to the President, urging him to focus NASA on an inspiring 
mission. On January 14 of this year, we received a reply.
  NASA was given a bold, new path--which will take our Nation on a 
journey of exploration and discovery that is affordable, achievable, 
and exciting.
  The first element of the vision includes returning the space shuttle 
to flight, and completing the International Space Station. In fact, the 
bulk of the increase in NASA's requested FY05 budget is for getting the 
shuttle fleet off the ground, and continued ISS construction. The ISS 
will be used to learn how to extend human presence in the hostile 
environment of space.
  The vision includes implementing a sustained human and robotic 
program to explore the solar system and beyond. Not one or the other, 
but both human and robotic exploration, using the strengths of each to 
expand their frontiers of our knowledge.
  The vision includes a goal of returning humans to the Moon by year 
2020, and using this as a stepping stone for human exploration of Mars 
and other destinations.
  Along the way, this journey of exploration will require the 
development of innovative technologies, key knowledge, and enabling 
infrastructures. This vision will further U.S. scientific, security, 
and economic interests, and it also promotes international and 
commercial participation in exploration.

  Mr. Speaker, this vision is affordable to our nation. NASA's 
requested budget includes modest increases for an agency that has been 
essentially level-funded, in constant dollars, for the past 10 years. 
The FY05 budget request for NASA represents 0.7 percent of the Federal 
budget, compared to 1 percent in 1994, and a peak of 4 percent during 
Apollo. Between 1993 and 2002, the Federal Government's discretionary 
spending grew in purchasing power by more than 25 percent. But NASA's 
funding profile over this same decade resulted in a loss in purchasing 
power of 13 percent. I recognize that our Nation has many other worthy 
demands on the Federal budget at this time--but this is something that 
only a great nation such as ours can do.
  This vision is also achievable. The plan is not a race to the Moon or 
Mars, but a continuation of the spirit of exploration that is such an 
important part of America's heritage. And it is based on a spiral-
development philosophy where you build on your accomplishments, 
learning from your successes--and your failures--along the way. We know 
that this approach can work--it already has, as Project Apollo built on 
the amazing achievements and occasional setbacks of Project Mercury and 
Project Gemini.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that there are some who say that NASA has not yet 
provided enough details about their exploration plan. They are working 
hard to provide us with the details. But we can all be assured that 
this body will have regular opportunities during the journey for strong 
congressional oversight.
  We have a bold new vision for our Nation's space program laid out in 
front of us. This vision will help secure America's national security. 
This vision will help assure America's economic prosperity. And it will 
help strengthen America's technological competitiveness. Like the 
successes of Apollo, the benefits of this vision of exploration and 
discovery will be felt over generations.
  Mr. Speaker, at the beginning of the 21st century, our Nation's space 
program is at a

[[Page H3767]]

crossroads. I urge my colleagues to grasp this historic opportunity, 
and join me in support of this vision that will reinvigorate our 
Nation's space program.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I support NASA's new space 
exploration vision. Americans might ask: What is that vision? It means 
we are committed to these goals--
  Return the space shuttle to flight;
  Complete the International Space Station;
  Develop the Crew Exploration Vehicle;
  Go back to the Moon;
  Go to Mars;
  Increase NASA funding by almost 6 percent.
  This new space exploration vision is a turning point for NASA.
  We know there are inherent risks that come with space exploration, 
which is the pursuit of new knowledge and new worlds. Skepticism and 
doubt are often linked to NASA and its goals. But history provides the 
answers to those concerns.
  The Mercury, Gemini and Apollo programs culminated in a great 
achievement: landing an astronaut on the moon.
  In the past 45 years, NASA's explorations and scientific experiments 
have led to technological breakthroughs that have changed our lives. 
They include a heart pump implant system that prolongs lives, smoke 
detectors that have saved thousands from death and shape memory metal 
used in eyeglasses and golf clubs that make them bendable. Advancements 
have also included the unexpected, such as a new line of shock-
absorbing athletic shoes.
  I believe the new space exploration vision is affordable and 
achievable. To succeed it requires congressional support, leadership 
from the White House, and an unwavering belief that the impossible can 
one day become the possible.
  Mr. Speaker, NASA has inspired the public since the Mercury 7 
astronauts had ``the right stuff'' to launch our space exploration 
program. Their legacy is secure.
  Our challenge today is to honor the legacy and build upon it with a 
new vision. I believe we can. America still has the right stuff to make 
other giant leaps for mankind.

                          ____________________