[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 131 (Wednesday, September 16, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S9396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              NASA FUNDING

  Mr. NELSON of Florida. Mr. President, this afternoon I am chairing a 
hearing of our Science and Space Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee 
on the future of NASA. The National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration is at a crossroads. There is only one person who can 
lead America's space program, and that is the President. The direction 
our country's space program, both manned and unmanned, is going to take 
will be square in the lap of the President. I discussed this with him 
on several occasions when he was Senator and when he was a candidate. I 
have discussed it with his staff, I am sure from their standpoint, ad 
infinitum.
  This afternoon, we have the Chairman of the blue ribbon panel created 
by the President to look at the future of human spaceflight for America 
and to report to the President. The Chairman, former aerospace CEO 
Norman Augustine, is testifying in front of our committee.
  It is the contention of this Senator's, who loves the space program, 
both manned and unmanned, and wants to see it continue as a part of our 
American character as explorers and adventurers, that if we ever give 
it up, we become a second-rate power because we give up a part of 
ourselves. We have always been pioneers, adventurers, and explorers. We 
used to go westward when this country was discovered and built. Now we 
go upward. Clearly, it is no secret where this Senator comes from.
  What I would like to get Dr. Augustine to bring forth, out of this 
extensive deliberation and extensive and detailed and very good report 
he has come forth with, is just how important it is that you can't do a 
human space program on the cheap and that NASA has been underfunded for 
the last decade. We see the results, that we are going to be shutting 
down the space shuttle in the near future when we have completed 
construction of the international space station. And because NASA has 
been underfunded, we don't have the next rocket ready. We have to go 
and hire rides to our own space station that we have bought and paid 
for and built. We have to buy rides from the Russians to get there. 
That is inexcusable, but that is what happened. It happened over the 
last decade. NASA was underfunded.
  The Augustine Commission has come out in early reports--and I want to 
hear this directly from him, I want the committee to hear this directly 
from Dr. Augustine--indicating that if we are going to fund a human 
spaceflight program that gets us out of low Earth orbit where our space 
station is and allows us to explore other worlds, be it the Moon, be it 
Mars, be it asteroids, whatever it is, NASA needs an additional $3 
billion a year for the next decade. I want to hear Dr. Augustine say 
that, in fact, we do need to get out of low Earth orbit, because that 
is what we need to do as discoverers, as adventurers.
  Finally, I want to hear him say that because NASA has been 
underfunded and mismanaged, in fact, we have a huge personnel problem 
in that suddenly there is not going to be work for that personnel. 
Those people who are space pioneers, who have lived it and breathed it 
and dedicated their lives to it, need to be taken into consideration 
instead of summarily dismissed and laid off. That is what I am looking 
to.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COBURN. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. COBURN. Mr. President, I wish to spend a few minutes this morning 
on some amendments I have offered. I ask unanimous consent to withdraw 
amendment 2373.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senate is in morning business and the 
measure is not pending at this time.
  Mr. COBURN. Will the Chair advise when we will be out of morning 
business?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. At 11 o'clock.

                          ____________________