Policy on NASA in a Time of Crisis

Stephen Blythe, Democratic Candidate for Florida's 15th Congressional District

For years congress and the Bush administration have ignored the space program and neglected needed budget prioritization. Now that the end of the shuttle program is nearing we realize that a critical time approaches with thousands of layoffs and a resulting shockwave to our local economy.  The challenge presented by this crisis must be dealt with head-on, but rational choices must be made not simply for the economic benefit of Brevard County but for the benefit of our nation as a whole.

On the drawing board right now are two broad aspects of going forward with our manned space program. Issue one is a replacement for the Space Shuttle - the Orion crew vehicle and the ARES launch vehicle, making up the Constellation Program - which is vitally needed if we are to continue with our manned space program utilizing the International Space Station, or ISS. It was very poor planning and budgeting indeed that allowed a five year (at best) disconnect between the Shuttle and the next generation vehicle. The useful life of the Shuttle may be extended by several years, but the political will to do so does not offset the increasing risk to our astronauts flying the aging fleet. It is testament to the technical and engineering skills of NASA that they are maintaining these craft in such excellent condition.  We may end up relying on the Russians with their Soyuz program for access to the ISS, and that is certainly not the ideal situation for our space program to face.

The extension of the Constellation Program will be to use it to launch the Orion Crew Module and the ATAIR Lunar Lander for week-long research missions to space - beginning probably around 2020. This will be an exciting time for NASA, and Americans will justifiably be proud and enthusiastic about our accomplishments. This is an appropriate goal for NASA.

The next issue is where we go with manned space flight from there. The long-term proposals are for manned stations on the moon and manned flight to mars. An analysis of these proposals requires us to examine what we expect to gain from these programs, and what we might expect to lose from not pursuing them.

I have expressed some concern that I have not seen justification for manned stations on the moon. I have an open mind about this, but we have seen how difficult it is to maintain a space station in relatively easy low-earth orbit. Even minor toilet trouble recently threatened to jeopardize the ISS. We need to be clear on our goals for this endeavor before we commit our resources to it.

 In regards to manned missions to mars – the extended time required, and the cost and danger of such missions combined with advancements in robotics makes a manned mission to mars a wonderfully romantic concept but hardly a rational one at this time.

There is an aspect of the current interest to return to the moon which is worrisome - that is the space race with the Chinese, and discussion that we need to do this for "security".  We should not go back to the moon for our ego or because we think it will make us more secure. We should go for the pure science of it and nothing more. What we need to do for security is work on the UN Space Weapons Ban Treaty so that we can have a verifiable treaty banning weapons in space. 

With our discussion of the new manned missions supported by NASA, let's not forget the other large and vibrant part of the space program that needs support and reinforcement. This includes many of the deep-space programs and the life science programs utilizing the ISS. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to study the moon will be very important, as will similar craft to study other planets within our solar system. The Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST), to complement the Chandra radio telescope and the Hubble telescope, is vitally important. The Solar Dynamics Observatory, to study the behavior of our sun, is very important for our understanding of the sun’s behavior and how it might relate to global climate change. In addition, NASA should team up with NOAA to more aggressively study global climate change. Congressional commitment and funding should without question be strong and consistent for these programs.

With the looming end of the Shuttle Program we clearly need to look at alternative jobs for displaced highly-trained NASA engineers, technicians, and workers. One congressional proposal is to cancel the $18 billion in tax breaks to the oil companies that have record profits, and to instead spend this money on alternative energy development.

In fact, why don’t we challenge America with an Apollo-type program to develop alternative energy, energy conservation, and public transportation systems to rival those anywhere in the world? Wouldn’t/couldn’t that produce technical spinoffs and jobs also, and at the same time reduce our dependence on a fast-shrinking supply of fossil fuels? Our current situation in those areas is a national shame. We could turn it into pride. It’s not as sexy as going into space, that’s for sure, but it could mean the long-term survival of our nation and society.  

As a member of congress representing this district I pledge to push for a rolling 10-year budget and appropriation cycle for NASA so that no projects get stopped or delayed half-way through because of changing winds in congress. The current budget is only planned in two-year intervals - far shorter than most of the NASA programs! A ten-year budget would help prevent chaos such as is happening now and will insure the long-term viability of NASA. 

As a member of congress representing this district, I pledge to strongly support NASA and its’ mission to further space science and our knowledge of planet earth and our universe. I pledge to strongly support manned space flight and research utilizing the ISS and using the Constellation Program. Perhaps in several years – with a robust and vigorous manned space program already underway, researching the moon with the ALTAIR Lander and exploring Mars with advanced robotics - and sound national finances once again – we can begin extending human space exploration to the outer edges of our universe. 

-sb