[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H2560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              DO NOT CANCEL AMERICA'S MANNED SPACE PROGRAM

  (Mr. CULBERSON asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CULBERSON. Mr. Speaker, the Democrat Congress and this President 
have presided over the biggest spending increases in American history, 
created more debt than any Congress in the history of the United 
States, and passed unprecedented tax increases, so it's not credible to 
claim they're cutting taxes.
  And there's near unanimous opposition in this Congress to the 
President's proposal to cancel America's manned space program. What the 
President's proposing would be like privatizing the United States Navy.
  Imagine if America had to call up a private contractor and ask if we 
could rent the aircraft carrier Harry Truman to go to the Red Sea for a 
week. That's what the President's proposing on the manned space 
program. That's why there's unanimous opposition.
  And, Mr. Speaker, 27 astronauts and NASA leaders have joined together 
in a magnificent letter they published in the Orlando Sentinel on 
Sunday, that strongly urges the Congress to drop this misguided 
proposal that forces NASA out of human space operations for the 
foreseeable future. They said, Canceling NASA's human space operations, 
after 50 years of unparalleled achievement, makes America mediocre and 
will eliminate our leadership in space.

               [From the Orlando Sentinel, Apr. 11, 2010]

       Dear President Obama: America is faced with the near-
     simultaneous ending of the Shuttle program and your recent 
     budget proposal to cancel the Constellation program. This is 
     wrong for our country for many reasons. We are very concerned 
     about America ceding its hard earned global leadership in 
     space technology to other nations. We are stunned that, in a 
     time of economic crisis, this move will force as many as 
     30,000 irreplaceable engineers and managers out of the space 
     industry. We see our human exploration program, one of the 
     most inspirational tools to promote science, technology, 
     engineering and math to our young people, being reduced to 
     mediocrity. NASA's human space program has inspired awe and 
     wonder in all ages by pursuing the American tradition of 
     exploring the unknown.
       We strongly urge you to drop this misguided proposal that 
     forces NASA out of human space operations for the foreseeable 
     future.
       For those of us who have accepted the risk and dedicated a 
     portion of our lives to the exploration of outer space, this 
     is a terrible decision. Our experiences were made possible by 
     the efforts of thousands who were similarly dedicated to the 
     exploration of the last frontier. Success in this great 
     national adventure was predicated on well defined programs, 
     an unwavering national commitment, and an ambitious 
     challenge. We understand there are risks involved in human 
     space flight, but they are calculated risks for worthy goals, 
     whose benefits greatly exceed those risks.
       America's greatness lies in her people: she will always 
     have men and women willing to ride rockets into the heavens. 
     America's challenge is to match their bravery and acceptance 
     of risk with specific plans and goals worthy of their 
     commitment. NASA must continue at the frontiers of human 
     space exploration in order to develop the technology and set 
     the standards of excellence that will enable commercial space 
     ventures to eventually succeed. Canceling NASA's human space 
     operations, after 50 years of unparalleled achievement, makes 
     that objective impossible.
       One of the greatest fears of any generation is not leaving 
     things better for the young people of the next. In the area 
     of human space flight, we are about to realize that fear; 
     your NASA budget proposal raises more questions about our 
     future in space than it answers.
       Too many men and women have worked too hard and sacrificed 
     too much to achieve America's preeminence in space, only to 
     see that effort needlessly thrown away. We urge you to 
     demonstrate the vision and determination necessary to keep 
     our nation at the forefront of human space exploration with 
     ambitious goals and the proper resources to see them through. 
     This is not the time to abandon the promise of the space 
     frontier for a lack of will or an unwillingness to pay the 
     price.
       Sincerely, in hopes of continued American leadership in 
     human space exploration.
         Walter Cunningham, Apollo 7; Chris Kraft, Past Director 
           JSC; Jack Lousma, Skylab 3, STS3; Vance Brand, Apollo-
           Soyuz, STS-5, STS-41B, STS-35;  Bob Crippen, STS-1, 
           STS-7, STS-41C, STS-41G, Past Director KSC; Michael D. 
           Griffin, Past NASA Administrator; Ed Gibson, Skylab 4; 
           Jim Kennedy, Past Director KSC; Alan Bean, Apollo 12, 
           Skylab 3; Alfred M. Worden, Apollo 15; Scott Carpenter, 
           Mercury Astronaut; Glynn Lunney, Gemini-Apollo Flight 
           Director; Jim McDivitt, Gemini 4, Apollo 9, Apollo 
           Spacecraft Program Manager; Gene Kranz, Gemini-Apollo 
           Flight Director, Past Director NASA Mission Ops.; Joe 
           Kerwin, Skylab 2; Fred Haise, Apollo 13, Shuttle 
           Landing Tests; Gerald Carr, Skylab 4; Jim Lovell, 
           Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8, Apollo 13; Jake Garn, 
           STS-51D, U.S. Senator; Charlie Duke, Apollo 16; Bruce 
           McCandless, STS-41B, STS-31; Frank Borman, Gemini 7, 
           Apollo 8; Paul Weitz, Skylab 2, STS-6; George Mueller, 
           Past Associate Administrator For Manned Space Flight; 
           Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17, U.S. Senator; Gene Cernan, 
           Gemini 9, Apollo 10, Apollo 17; Dick Gordon, Gemini 11, 
           Apollo 12.

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