kittell
January 14th, 2008, 04:38 AM
Courtesy: National Space Society (http://www.nss.org)
Join us for the 2008 Legislative Blitz
February 10-12, 2008 in Washington, DC
Space Exploration is under attack from Congress. For the 2008 Fiscal Year, Congress cut over $170 million dollars from key programs in NASA's budget, putting the future of human exploration of space in jeopardy. Funding must be restored for human exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond. Join NSS and the Space Exploration Alliance as we march on Capitol Hill as the 2009 budget is released and let your voice be heard. The decisions made during these few days will be integral to our plans to expand human exploration beyond low earth orbit, return to the moon and get humans to asteroids and Mars. Help us save the future of space exploration. Go here to register: http://www.spaceexplorationalliance.org/blitz
This year will be pivotal for our nation's space program, not only in the short term, but for the long-term goals of our nation on the road to becoming a spacefaring civilization.
For 2008, Congress cut $81 million from the Exploration division, $7.5 million from the Space Shuttle, $18 million from the International Space Station, and over $75 million from the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program (COTS). Worse, Congress dropped a $1 billion Senate amendment to replace the funds NASA used to return to flight after the Columbia accident. NASA's budget is miniscule compared to the hundreds of billions being spent on other government programs.
In addition, COTS was directed NOT to create new awards for commercial space transportation projects and NASA was not permitted to spend funds on the human exploration of Mars!
We cannot allow this to continue in 2009. America's space program cannot afford to lose more ground. China's space program is picking up speed. It has set out an ambitious program of manned and robotic exploration for the next decade. It already has its own lunar probe orbiting the moon, a full year before our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Congress must support NASA in expanding human presence beyond low earth orbit, looking forward to the moon, Mars, and beyond, while engaging science and commerce along the way. This represents a better future for America, and a better future for the world.
The future of the space program relies on you. America NEEDS your help. Come. Join us. Change the course of the future.
Sincerely,
George Whitesides
NSS Executive Director
Join us for the 2008 Legislative Blitz
February 10-12, 2008 in Washington, DC
Space Exploration is under attack from Congress. For the 2008 Fiscal Year, Congress cut over $170 million dollars from key programs in NASA's budget, putting the future of human exploration of space in jeopardy. Funding must be restored for human exploration of the moon, Mars, and beyond. Join NSS and the Space Exploration Alliance as we march on Capitol Hill as the 2009 budget is released and let your voice be heard. The decisions made during these few days will be integral to our plans to expand human exploration beyond low earth orbit, return to the moon and get humans to asteroids and Mars. Help us save the future of space exploration. Go here to register: http://www.spaceexplorationalliance.org/blitz
This year will be pivotal for our nation's space program, not only in the short term, but for the long-term goals of our nation on the road to becoming a spacefaring civilization.
For 2008, Congress cut $81 million from the Exploration division, $7.5 million from the Space Shuttle, $18 million from the International Space Station, and over $75 million from the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program (COTS). Worse, Congress dropped a $1 billion Senate amendment to replace the funds NASA used to return to flight after the Columbia accident. NASA's budget is miniscule compared to the hundreds of billions being spent on other government programs.
In addition, COTS was directed NOT to create new awards for commercial space transportation projects and NASA was not permitted to spend funds on the human exploration of Mars!
We cannot allow this to continue in 2009. America's space program cannot afford to lose more ground. China's space program is picking up speed. It has set out an ambitious program of manned and robotic exploration for the next decade. It already has its own lunar probe orbiting the moon, a full year before our Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Congress must support NASA in expanding human presence beyond low earth orbit, looking forward to the moon, Mars, and beyond, while engaging science and commerce along the way. This represents a better future for America, and a better future for the world.
The future of the space program relies on you. America NEEDS your help. Come. Join us. Change the course of the future.
Sincerely,
George Whitesides
NSS Executive Director