[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 41 (Friday, March 19, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1774-S1775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             SPACE PROGRAM

  Mr. LeMIEUX. Mr. President, I am here to speak on this FAA bill and 
on an amendment that I filed on this bill concerning the space program.
  For decades, the space shuttle has been a symbol for American 
innovation and ingenuity and the pioneering spirit that has made our 
Nation the most technologically advanced country in the world.
  Today, our space program, however, stands at a crossroads, between 
one project and the next. For years, we have had soaring aspirations 
about space without funding. Now we have a plan that includes the money 
but lacks the vision.
  In our Nation's space program, we cannot have money without ambition. 
The result will be directionless spending. As sure as winter follows 
fall, that directionless spending will lead to cuts in spending and 
eventually, I believe, the demise of our space program.
  In 2004, the Constellation Program was announced as a followup to the 
space shuttle program. That vision was endorsed by Congress in 2005 and 
in 2008. In both years, we directed NASA to focus its efforts on 
returning to the Moon by 2020 and someday sending Americans to Mars and 
worlds beyond.
  In fact, I have here the public law that was passed just about a year 
and a half ago, October 15 of 2008. It is Public Law 110-422. If I may 
read from it, it says:

       The Congress finds, on this, the 50th anniversary of the 
     establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration, the following:

  It goes on to say that one of the points they find is:

       Developing United States human space flight capabilities to 
     allow independent American access to the International Space 
     Station, and to explore beyond low Earth orbit, is a 
     strategically important national imperative, and all prudent 
     steps should thus be taken to bring the Orion Crew 
     Exploration Vehicle and Aries I Crew Launch Vehicle to full 
     operational capability as soon as possible and to ensure the 
     effective development of a United States heavy lift launch 
     capability as soon as possible and to ensure the effective 
     development of a United States heavy lift launch 
     capability for missions beyond low Earth orbit.

  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have that portion of the 
public law printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds, on this, the 50th anniversary of the 
     establishment of the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration following:
       (1) NASA is and should remain a multimission agency with a 
     balanced and robust set of core missions in science, 
     aeronautics, and human space flight and exploration.
       (2) Investment in NASA's programs will promote innovation 
     through research and development, and will improve the 
     competitiveness of the United States.
       (3) Investment in NASA's programs, like investments in 
     other Federal science and technology activities, is an 
     investment in our future.
       (4) Properly structured, NASA's activities can contribute 
     to an improved quality of life, economic vitality, United 
     States leadership in peaceful cooperation with other nations 
     on challenging undertakings in science and technology, 
     national security, and the advancement of knowledge.
       (5) NASA should assume a leadership role in a cooperative 
     international Earth observations and research effort to 
     address key research issues associated with climate change 
     and its impacts on the Earth system.
       (6) NASA should undertake a program of aeronautical 
     research, development, and where appropriate demonstration 
     activities with the overarching goals of--
       (A) ensuring that the Nation's future air transportation 
     system can handle up to 3 times the current travel demand and 
     incorporate new vehicle types with no degradation in safety 
     or adverse environmental impact on local communities;
       (B) protecting the environment;
       (C) promoting the security of the Nation; and
       (D) retaining the leadership of the United States in global 
     aviation.
       (7) Human and robotic exploration of the solar system will 
     be a significant long-term undertaking of humanity in the 
     21st century and beyond, and it is in the national interest 
     that the United States should assume a leadership role in a 
     cooperative international exploration initiative.
       (8) Developing United States human space flight 
     capabilities to allow independent American access to the 
     International Space Station, and to explore beyond low Earth 
     orbit, is a strategically important national imperative, and 
     all prudent steps should thus be taken to bring the Orion 
     Crew Exploration Vehicle and Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle to 
     full operational capability as soon as possible and to ensure 
     the effective development of a United States heavy lift 
     launch capability for missions beyond low Earth orbit.
       (9) NASA's scientific research activities have contributed 
     much to the advancement of knowledge, provided societal 
     benefits, and helped train the next generation of scientists 
     and engineers, and those activities should continue to be an 
     important priority.
       (10) NASA should make a sustained commitment to a robust 
     long-term technology development activity. Such investments 
     represent the critically important ``seed corn'' on which 
     NASA's ability to carry out challenging and productive 
     missions in the future will depend.
       (11) NASA, through its pursuit of challenging and relevant 
     activities, can provide an important stimulus to the next 
     generation to pursue careers in science, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics.
       (12) Commercial activities have substantially contributed 
     to the strength of both the United States space program and 
     the national economy, and the development of a healthy and 
     robust United States commercial space sector should continue 
     to be encouraged.
       (13) It is in the national interest for the United States 
     to have an export control policy that protects the national 
     security while also enabling the United States aerospace 
     industry to compete effectively in the global market place 
     and the United States to undertake cooperative programs in 
     science and human space flight in an effective and efficient 
     manner.

  Mr. LeMIEUX. That was a year and a half ago. This is now. The 
President's 2011 budget cancels this program, the Constellation 
Program, and what it does, in effect, is put our efforts for space 
exploration in severe jeopardy, potentially risking the jobs of more 
than 7,000 rocket scientists in Florida as well as jobs throughout this 
country in more than 20 States.
  I understand there are many private conversations going on between 
Members of this body and the administration concerning this topic. But 
I think it is important to reflect back upon what then-Senator Obama, 
then-candidate Obama said about space exploration and compare it to 
what his administration has proposed in his budget.
  In August of 2008, Senator Obama was campaigning in Florida, in 
Titusville, FL, on our space coast. He said this:

       One of the areas where we are in danger of losing our 
     competitive edge is our space program. When I was growing up, 
     NASA inspired the world with achievements we are still proud 
     of. Today, we have an administration--

  He is referring to the Bush administration--

     that has set ambitious goals for NASA without giving NASA the 
     support it needs to reach them. As a result, they've had to 
     cut back on research, and trim their programs, which means 
     that after the Space Shuttle shuts down in 2010, we're going 
     to have to rely on Russian spacecraft to keep us in orbit.

  He goes on to say:

       More broadly, we need a real vision for space exploration. 
     To help formulate this vision, I'll reestablish the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Council so that we can develop a plan 
     to explore the solar system--a plan that involves both human 
     and robotic missions, and enlists both international partners 
     and the private sector. And as America leads the world to 
     long-term exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond . . . .

  And he goes on to say a few more things.
  So we know the Congress passed a law that was reaffirmed in 2008, on 
October 15, that said we were going to go into low-Earth orbit with the 
Constellation Program. We know the President of the United States, when

[[Page S1775]]

campaigning for this office, said we must be exceptional in the space 
program, continue with our vision, properly funded, go to the Moon and 
Mars and planets beyond.
  But today the President's budget scraps that plan. We have no plan to 
get into low-Earth orbit after the Space Shuttle is retired. We are 
going to rely upon the Russians to take us to the International Space 
Station--exactly what candidate-Obama said we should be worried about.
  So to this end, I have filed an amendment, an amendment to the FAA 
Reauthorization Act, to prohibit NASA from terminating the 
Constellation Program. It is the prerogative of this institution, the 
Congress--that our Founders put forth--it is our prerogative to deem 
how money is spent, how programs are funded. This Congress twice has 
said we will fund the Constellation Program, that we will fund these 
programs for the next generation of spacecraft to take us into low-
Earth orbit.
  This amendment reiterates the Federal law prohibiting NASA from using 
funds in fiscal year 2010 to cancel Constellation contracts. Several of 
my colleagues have joined me in this amendment: Senator Wicker from 
Mississippi, Senator Shelby from Alabama, Senator Sessions from 
Alabama, Senator Hatch from Utah, and Senator Bennett from Utah.
  The problem is, NASA is ignoring the will of Congress in already 
beginning to cancel the Constellation Program. That is not their right. 
They must follow the law, and this amendment intends to hold them to 
that. The amendment sends a clear message that there are no loopholes, 
exclusions, or other routes the agency can use to kill the program.
  I say publicly here on the floor of the Senate, whether this 
amendment passes on this bill, whether this amendment passes in the 
coming weeks, the law of the land is this: fund the Constellation 
Program. NASA is on notice that it is their legal requirement to do so, 
that they should not cancel contracts, they should not tell contractors 
to stop working. They cannot do that until the Congress makes a change 
in the law, and to do so would be unlawful.
  The ultimate determination on the future of the space program rests 
with Congress, not a budget proposal submitted by this administration 
or, in fact, any administration.
  As candidate-Obama agreed, without Constellation, the United States 
will be relying on Russia for any manned space missions. The United 
States has led the world in space exploration since the early 1960s. We 
cannot, and we should not, cede this leadership to any other country. 
We must summon the same vision that guided President Kennedy whose 
vision put a man on the Moon at the end of the 1960s. He said: Why 
should we settle for anything less? To quote him:

       We choose to go to the moon . . . because that challenge is 
     one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to 
     postpone, and one which we intend to win. . . .

  It is my sincere hope we will adopt this amendment, if not on this 
bill, on another bill soon. I hope my colleagues and our President will 
also come to say we choose to continue to be the leader in space 
exploration to the Moon, to Mars, and planets beyond because the 
challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to 
postpone, and one we intend to win.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

                          ____________________