[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 84 (Thursday, June 17, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S7010]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. McCAIN (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mrs. Hutchison, and 
        Mr. Allen):
  S. 2541. A bill to reauthorize and restructure the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined today by 
Senators Brownback, Hutchison, and Allen in introducing legislation to 
re-authorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This 
legislation marks the beginning of a new age of exploration, and the 
extension of humanity's quest for knowledge to a manned mission to 
Mars.
  NASA is currently responsible for a number of programs that create 
greater knowledge about the Earth and the universe around us. As we 
speak today, the two robots, Spirit and Opportunity, are exploring 
craters on Mars in search of ancient lake beds. The Hubble telescope 
continues to show us new discoveries about the universe. NASA 
satellites also help us to develop a better scientific understanding of 
the Earth's atmosphere and its response to natural and human-induced 
changes. NASA is in the process of developing airplanes with morphing 
wings that will change shape during flight.
  Despite all of these wondrous achievements, NASA is an agency in 
search of a new mission. For many Americans, the Apollo landings remain 
a moment of inspiration, but also a fading memory of the past. Many 
space enthusiasts have complained that the manned space program has 
been stuck in low Earth orbit and harnessed to a costly space station 
and aging Space Shuttle infrastructure. Just last year, we again 
witnessed the inherent danger in manned spaceflight, and some 
questioned the need for such a risky and expensive program.
  To his credit, President Bush announced on the day of the Columbia 
tragedy that ``our journey into space will go on.'' In January, the 
President offered a bold new space vision and made a firm commitment to 
return the Space Shuttle to flight, finish construction of the 
International Space Station, and return astronauts to the Moon in 
preparation for a manned mission to Mars. This bill would authorize 
these activities consistent with the President's overall requested 
budget amounts, and set the nation firmly on a course for manned 
exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
  However, we also have learned from the mistakes of the past. 
Unfortunately, NASA's recent history of managing projects, such as the 
X-33 and X-34, has been full of disappointment and failure. Many 
Members have seen the wisdom of President Reagan's adage to ``trust, 
but verify,'' when analyzing NASA's budget numbers. With these lessons 
in mind, the bill contains a number of provisions to ensure that NASA 
stays on track.
  The bill would require the submission of a baseline technical 
requirements document and life cycle cost estimate, so that Congress 
can find out exactly what is required to implement the President's 
vision and begin to determine its cost. The bill also would require an 
industrial assessment of the private sector's ability to support manned 
missions to the Moon and Mars, and a commercialization plan to identify 
opportunities for the private sector to participate in future missions. 
Most importantly, the bill would require quarterly life cycle reports 
on major systems of the new initiative, and include cost-control 
measures when the cost overruns of these systems exceed 15 percent and 
25 percent over the total life cycle cost of the system.
  The bill also would codify many of the recommendations of the 
Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB). Admiral Gehman and the 
other board members did an admirable job in thoroughly investigating 
the causes of this tragic accident. The bill would establish a lessons-
learned and best practices program to ensure that NASA does not repeat 
the mistakes of the past. In addition, the Office of Safety and Mission 
Assurance is given independent funding and direct line authority over 
the entire Space Shuttle Safety organization. An Independent Technical 
Engineering Authority is established within NASA with its own budgetary 
line to maintain technical standards, be the sole waiver-granting 
authority for technical standards, and perform other tasks. The bill 
also would ensure that the Independent Technical Engineering Authority 
would recertify the Space Shuttle orbiters for operation prior to any 
operations beyond 2010. The bill would include an assessment of NASA's 
culture and organization, and an action plan to fix the cultural and 
organizational problems that the CAIB identified as a major cause of 
the accident. The men and women of the Columbia gave their lives to 
further America's knowledge of the Earth and the stars, and we should 
honor their memory by ensuring that such an accident never occurs 
again.
  In addition, the bill would address the problems concerning the 
Hubble Space Telescope. As my colleagues know, NASA has indicated that 
it cannot use the Space Shuttle for another human mission to service 
this national treasure. Both NASA and the National Academy of Sciences 
are reviewing options for using robots and other means to save the 
telescope. Sixty days after the National Academy releases its report, 
the Administrator would be directed to report to Congress on the future 
servicing options for Hubble and how much it will cost.
  I realize that concerns have been raised regarding some of the cuts 
that NASA is proposing to pay for the President's exploration vision. 
In order to pay for this new program, we must realize that there is 
limited funding and that NASA funding has to be re-allocated. However, 
this bill should not be construed as supporting each and every proposed 
reduction. Instead, the bill simply would authorize the funding levels 
buy the major budget accounts.
  Curiosity and a drive to explore have always been quintessential 
American traits. This has been most evident in the space program, which 
continues to show great advances in human knowledge. However, we are 
fully aware of the inherent risks and costs of space exploration, and 
the need to mitigate them wherever possible. Based on this knowledge, 
let us now embark upon this great journey into the stars to find 
whatever may await us.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and look forward to 
working with them to ensure passage of this bill this year.
                                 ______