Thursday, December 2, 2021
Walter Cunningham - Apollo VII Astronaut - Space Views - WalterCunningham.Com
Get the space shuttle back in the Air
http://waltercunningham.com/op_ed_051603.htm
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http://waltercunningham.com/op_ed_051603.htm
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Fwd: Bobby, Your December Issue of The Driller is Here!
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: Bobby G Martin <bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com>
Date: December 1, 2021 at 3:39:15 PM CST
To: bobbygmartin1938.casperww@blogger.com, bobbygmartin1938.casperw@blogger.com
Subject: Fwd: Bobby, Your December Issue of The Driller is Here!
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:From: The Driller <TheDriller@digital-bnp.com>
Date: December 1, 2021 at 1:45:32 PM CST
To: bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com
Subject: Bobby, Your December Issue of The Driller is Here!
Reply-To: The Driller <thedriller@omeda.com>
Can't see this email? Read it online!
EASY TO READ ON ANY DEVICE • INTERACTIVE DESIGN • INTUITIVE NAVIGATION
Your December 2021 eMagazine is HERE!
READ NOW
Inside Servant of the Industry We Talk to Longtime Columnist, former NGWA President John Schmitt
Designed for Collaboration Training Brings Drillers, Scientists, Engineers all to One Table
Mental Health Should be Part of Safety Training at Drilling Companies Suicide More Common in U.S. than Jobsite Fatalities Industry Focuses On
Imagining Construction, Drilling Industry Leadership in 2035 Are we Having Difficult Discussions or Throwing Fits at Change Orders?
See the full list of The Driller's December articles here!
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Monday, November 29, 2021
Friday, November 26, 2021
Shuttle Capability needed, via X37C
Leroy Chiao
Sent from my iPad
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Fwd: SPENDING SCAM worse than we thought! $10.5B for illegals?
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: Grassfire <alert@grassrootsaction.com>
Date: November 16, 2021 at 5:54:25 PM CST
To: Bobby Martin <bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com>
Subject: SPENDING SCAM worse than we thought! $10.5B for illegals?
NationBuilder
Bobby,
On Saturday, Grassfire emailed you about an alarming report from Breitbart News. Analysis of Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" boondoggle by the Center for Immigration Studies determined: "500,000 to 600,000 illegal aliens released into the U.S. interior this year would be eligible to receive $800 million in cash payments as a result of the tax credits."
But today, we found out the situation is much, much worse. Actually, it's more than 13 times worse!
According to an article posted on Real Clear Politics, illegal aliens would get -- not hundreds of millions -- but BILLIONS if Congress passes Joe Biden's SOCIALIST SPENDING SCAM. Also, those payouts from the Democrats' "Build Back Better" boondoggle are likely to incentivize EVEN MORE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION! Real Clear Politics reports:
The budget reconciliation package pushed by Democrats creates a new expanded child tax credit (CTC) that would pay illegal immigrants some $10.5 billion next year. All immigrants with children are eligible, regardless of how they got here and whether their children are U.S.-born. ...
This includes illegal migrants here in 2020 and those stopped and then released into the country in 2021. These payments are not related to the huge cash settlements the administration is planning to pay illegal immigrant families separated at the border during the Trump administration. ...
But if we want to understand why a record 1.7 million people were apprehended at the border in FY 2021, we need to look no further than the large cash payments the House plans to give illegal immigrants.
It's shocking and almost unbelievable. But with the radical, unhinged Left so focused on pushing "America Last" policies, the Democrats' latest vote-buying scandal should come as little or no surprise. When you steal from Peter and give it to Paul, you always get Paul's vote!
If there was ever a time for grassroots patriots to fight, it's now! The next few weeks WILL determine the future of our great nation. That's why Grassfire is empowering you to make your voice heard on Capitol Hill. Liberty-loving Americans, like you, MUST engage in the battle to save the United States from full-blown socialism!
Radical, unhinged Democrats are racing to pass "Phase 2" of the SOCIALIST SPENDING SCAM in the next few days. They claim the cost of the bill is "only" $1.75 trillion, but The Washington Times insists Mr. Biden's "Build Back Better" boondoggle will cost more than $4 trillion -- with $10.5 billion of that money going to illegal aliens?! It's ridiculous.
The only thing "Build Back Better" finances is a super-highway to socialism off the backs of American taxpayers. There's nothing "better" about "building" that! "Phase 2" of the Biden regime's SOCIALIST SPENDING SCAM finances a far-left "wish list" of progressive pork, which is a bitter recipe for raising taxes, increasing inflation, destroying the economy and "fundamentally transforming" America.
+ + Two Democrat Senators Can Save America From Socialism!
Due to a legislative tactic known as "budget reconciliation," the SOCIALIST SPENDING SCAM can be passed with a simple majority vote in the Senate. All 50 Republicans in the Upper Chamber are opposed to pushing the U.S. off a fiscal cliff into full-blown socialism.
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) are the ONLY Democrats currently opposed to the price tag of Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" boondoggle. If either of them votes "NO!", Democrats won't have the 50 votes they need to pass their heinous legislation.
Urge Sinema and Manchin to stand strong and continue fighting the Biden regime's SPENDING SCAM. This multi-trillion-dollar legislation is a blueprint for full-blown socialism. But you can push back against the "Hate America" crowd's plan for "fundamentally transforming" our great nation. Let Grassfire empower you to make your voice heard! Click here to INSTANTLY sign the national "Stop The Spending Scam!" petition now:
The Wall Street Journal calls the SPENDING SCAM "rotten tax policy" and "increasingly unpopular," adding: "The best result would be for the entire farce to collapse from its own dead weight." Their editorial board also says the costs are "phony," but they insist "the social and fiscal damage are real." The newspaper even urged taxpayers to take action against it: "Americans should be shouting from the rooftops to stop this steamroller before they wake up to a government that dominates their lives in a country they don't recognize."
The Biden regime's "Build Back Better" boondoggle will dictate who we are as a nation moving forward. Will America remain the land of life, liberty and limited government? Or will the radical, unhinged Left push the United States off a fiscal cliff into full-blown socialism.
Sinema and Manchin are the keys to preventing the United States from becoming "America The Socialist." So far, both Senators are holding the line, refusing to support the trillions in wish-list, progressive-pork spending their fellow Democrats want. Their "NO!" votes can stop Joe Biden's and the radical, unhinged Left's SOCIALIST SPENDING SCAM.
Because it will only take one of them to derail Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" boondoggle, we're delivering "Stop The Spending Scam!" petitions to Sinema and Manchin THIS WEEK. But time is running out make your voice heard! You only have until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow to add your name. At that time, we'll need to close the petition file and begin the delivery process.
Go here to let Sinema, Manchin and GOP leadership know where you stand with just one click, and Grassfire will deliver your petition to Capitol Hill THIS WEEK. Act now to stop the radical, unhinged Left's plan for "fundamentally transforming the United States of America." Let us represent you in Washington, D.C. BEFORE the next SPENDING SCAM vote. Thanks, in advance, for taking action today.
For life, liberty and limited government,
The Grassfire Team
P.S. Radical Democrats are on record promoting paid leave, childcare, "caregiving," police accountability, election "reform," affordable housing, fighting "climate change" and even packing the Supreme Court as "infrastructure." To progressives, "infrastructure" is whatever they say it is. The Unhinged Left is trying to use trillions of taxpayer dollars to build a super highway to socialism, while rewarding criminal behavior at the same time! Liberty-loving patriots MUST make their voices heard NOW. Click here or on the banner below to INSTANTLY sign the national "Stop The Spending Scam!" petition now:
Sources:
Analysis: Biden's 'Build Back Better Act' Gives $800M in Cash Payments to Illegal Aliens Released into U.S. (Breitbart News)
Illegal Immigrants Would Get $10.5 Billion From Reconciliation Bill (Real Clear Politics)
Democrats expect to pass $1.75T Biden package this week (The Hill)
'Build Back Better's' true cost (The Washington Times)
Obama: "Fundamentally Transforming the United States of America" (FOX News via YouTube)
Fly-by-Night Taxation (The Wall Street Journal)
A Jerry-Rigged Budget 'Framework' (The Wall Street Journal)
Transforming America in 17 Days (The Wall Street Journal)
Everything Is "Infrastructure" According to Democrats (GOP•gov)
Here are the things Democrats are claiming to be 'infrastructure' in spending debate (FOX News)
Grassfire, a division of Grassroots Action, Inc., is a million-strong network of grassroots conservatives dedicated to equipping you with the tools that give you a real impact on the key issues of our day. © 2021 Grassroots Action, Inc.+ + + + + + +
-=-=- Grassfire · PO Box 9095, Chesapeake, VA 23321, United States
-=-=-
This email was sent to bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here.Powered by Grassroots Action, solutions that grow.
Fwd: Cartel Drones Guide Illegals
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Allen West" <info@west4texas.org>
Date: November 16, 2021 at 10:42:30 AM CST
To: Friend <bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com>
Subject: Cartel Drones Guide Illegals
Reply-To: info@west4texas.org
Allen West for Texas
KEEP THE CARTELS AND THE ILLEGALS OUT OF TEXAS ➞
Friend,
The blue dot was the location from last night. Group after group of illegals were chased last night and also narcotics were being trafficked.
Each group was guided by a cartel drone that was 1,100 ft. in the air.
This is nothing new. However, this is a major problem - Texans' LAND OWNERSHIP and TERRAIN are being OVERTAKEN by the ILLEGALS!
The areas outlined in red are owned by the federal government and are National Wildlife refuges . . . but they are more like cartel refuges and sanctuaries for illicit smuggling.
Local law enforcement had meetings with multi-generational land owners and farmers last night.
One of the farmers said that when the federal government took control of the land, instead of private landowners, it was an open invitation to the cartels to operate on U.S. soil and a put all the farmers in a complicated security threat situation. They are now surrounded!
The regulations and the terrain on the refuges tie our hands.
He asked me why no one will discuss this on MSM or in politics. The answer is simple.
The federal government has created sanctuary zones for illicit and illegal narco-criminal terrorist activities and the flow of illegal immigrants. The current Governor's rhetoric and optics are failing Texans. And, the delusional Robert Francis O'Rourke would only exacerbate the already dangerous situation. Biden, Abbott, and O'Rourke are all complicit, or support, in aiding and abetting human and sex trafficking by not sealing our porous southern border. I will secure our border.
Will you join my fight to secure our border and take back our land from the cartels and the illegals coming into Texas?
Steadfast and Loyal,
Allen B. West
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret)
ENDORSE LTC ALLEN WEST ➞ VOLUNTEER ➞
POL. ADV. PAID FOR BY ALLEN WEST CAMPAIGN
The election laws in Texas allow for unlimited donation amounts as
long as the funds are not from an incorporated entity.
Make checks payable: Allen West Campaign
PO Box 740846 Dallas, TX 75374
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Saturday, November 6, 2021
Lost in space | Washington Examiner
X37C needed to regain shuttle capability which is critical to USA space capability!
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lost-in-space
Sent from my iPad
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lost-in-space
Sent from my iPad
Wednesday, October 27, 2021
Fwd: West Denounces Supreme Court for Its Hypocrisy
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Allen West" <info@west4texas.org>
Date: October 27, 2021 at 2:15:31 PM CDT
To: <bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com>
Subject: West Denounces Supreme Court for Its Hypocrisy
Reply-To: info@west4texas.org
Allen West for Texas
###
The election laws in Texas allow for unlimited donation amounts as
long as the funds are not from an incorporated entity.
Make checks payable: Allen West Campaign
PO Box 740846 Dallas, TX 75374
Don't want to receive any more of our emails?
We hate to see you go, but you can unsubscribe here.
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You were added to the system August 16, 2021.
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Sunday, October 24, 2021
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
Shuttle Capability needed
Leroy Chiao
Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Fwd: INVADERS
Sent from my iPad
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Allen West" <info@west4texas.org>
Date: October 6, 2021 at 12:28:54 PM CDT
To: <bobbygmartin1938@gmail.com>
Subject: INVADERS
Reply-To: info@west4texas.org
Allen West for Texas
Illegals are no longer just waiting under a bridge for their turn to cross the Rio Grande into Texas – our governor and his FAILURE TO TAKE CONTROL have allowed illegals to take shelter in properties across the state.
Texans and their private property SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO THESE CRIMINAL INVADERS. THIS CANNOT CONTINUE.
STOP THE INVADERS ➞
Texas and America are counting on a true leader to take control of this CRISIS. Make no mistake, our safety is ON THE LINE.
Each day THOUSANDS OF CHILD AND SEX TRAFFICKERS, GANG MEMBERS, AND EVEN TERRORISTS are making their way into Texas communities while our governor stands idly by.
It is pathetic LACK of leadership. There is no explanation to why our governor has not acted to STOP these INVADERS.
Will you join my fight to be the next Governor of Texas so I can STOP the left's open-borders agenda and retake control of this state?
Your generous contribution to my campaign will help me reach Texas voters with my WINNING, conservative message and bring TOUGH, PRINCIPLED leadership to Austin to meet this CRISIS head on.
There is no time to waste and I hope to hear from you soon.
Steadfast and Loyal,
Allen B. West
Lieutenant Colonel (Ret)
ENDORSE LTC ALLEN WEST ➞ VOLUNTEER ➞
POL. ADV. PAID FOR BY ALLEN WEST CAMPAIGN
The election laws in Texas allow for unlimited donation amounts as
long as the funds are not from an incorporated entity.
Make checks payable: Allen West Campaign
PO Box 740846 Dallas, TX 75374
Don't want to receive any more of our emails?
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Saturday, August 28, 2021
X37C needed
The U.S. Air Force's Boeing X-37B, which began as a NASA craft but was transferred to the Pentagon in 2004, is an unmanned space plane that looks like a small space shuttle. Like the shuttle, it returns to Earth and lands on a runway. It has been flying successfully for five years. A scaled-up version with an astronaut crew to work outside the vehicle could reestablish America's ability to build and maintain big structures in Earth orbit.
Sent from my iPad
Sent from my iPad
Friday, August 20, 2021
Shuttle
Leroy Chiao
Tuesday, June 29, 2021
Saturday, June 12, 2021
Cernan testimony
Testimony by Eugene Cernan: "NASA Human Space Flight Past, Present, and Future: Where Do We Go From Here?"
Status Report From: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
Posted: Thursday, September 22, 2011
Written Testimony of Captain Eugene A. Cernan, USN (ret.), Commander, Apollo XVII, Astronaut (ret.)
Before the Committee on Science and Technology United States House of Representatives
September 22, 2011
Thank you, Chairman Hall, Ranking Member Johnson and Members of the Committee for this opportunity to once again express my personal views and concerns over the future of our nation's space program. In the short time we have available here this morning, I will do my best to adequately address the questions in your letter of invitation.
The Past:
Because the theme of this hearing is "Spaceflight - Past, Present and Future", and because as you, Mr. Chairman, suggested that there are some on this Committee who might well be a generation or more removed from Apollo, I choose first to address the past because I believe it important to go back in time and re-trace our path through history to the day from which we were destined to become the world's leading space-faring nation. As we now look to the future, I consider the past vital so as to fully understand what it required to become the unchallenged leader in the world of Space Exploration.
Lest we forget, Mr. Chairman, it was a bold and courageous President over a half century ago who started us on a journey to the stars - a journey from which America would never look back - and a journey that challenged the American people at every crossroad to do what most thought couldn't be done. It was a challenge that came in the "terrible 60's", at a time when our nation was shackled by civil strife, campus unrest and the beginning of what became a very unpopular war - and perhaps foremost, it was a challenge to the then Soviet Union's dominance in space. To meet that challenge required all the dedication and personal commitment our nation could muster. And, it was not going to be easy, but hard and did require sacrifice, just as John F. Kennedy said it would. However, being second best was unacceptable then and being just good today is never going to be good enough for the American people.
JFK did not just challenge us to go to the moon - he believed it was time to take a leading role in space - a role he thought might well hold the key to our future on Earth. So we built upon the uncertainty of Mercury, fabricated Gemini, the bridge to Apollo, and then realized the dream of mankind for eons of time when over 40 years ago we were able to call the moon our home.
But we did not quit there - before the end of Apollo in 1972, Skylab - man's first orbiting laboratory - was ready to fly; the Space Shuttle, perhaps the most capable flying machine ever designed, built and flown by man, was already on the drawing boards; and today the International Space Station, the assembly of which may well go down in history as man's greatest engineering accomplishment of all time, circles the globe sixteen times every day - all in keeping with JFK's challenge to go to the moon "and do the other things." Along the way, thousands of young Americans, who, inspired by what was happening around them, became doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, and even university Presidents - a "stimulus" for education unparralled in our history. The above constituted a logical progression with the purpose of achieving and then maintaining our position as the world's leading space-faring nation. And with it came the development of technology which allowed us to satisfy mankind's insatiable quest for knowledge - all on that ocean on which we "set sail" a half century ago. For 50 years, Mr. Chairman, we were caught up in the inertia of growth, where each day brought new revelations about the unknown - our curiosity was overwhelmed with more questions than answers.
The Present:
However, today we are on a path of decay. We are seeing the book closed on five decades of accomplishments as the world's leading space-faring nation. As unimaginable as it seems, we have now come full circle and ceded our leadership role in space back to the same country, albeit with a different name, that spurred our challenge five decades ago.
What measures are needed to reverse this inertia of decay? Based upon history the long-term solution appears obvious. One only has to look back and learn from history to understand what it will take to once again be the world's leading space-faring nation. We eventually need an Administration that believes in and understands the importance of America's commitment to regaining its pre-imminence in space. An administration which will provide us with a leader who will once again be bold and challenge our people to do what history has now told us is possible. We must have a forward looking independent NASA who can advise the President, manage far-reaching programs, and work with a bi-partisan Congress in moving forward with a space program that benefits all Americans. And a NASA that realizes the importance of looking back in history - learning from our mistakes and building upon the successful culture of a government-private industry partnership that has endured throughout the life of our space program developing safe and cost effective space exploration systems.
The short-term solution is more complex in light of NASA and the present Administration's now obvious agenda to dismantle a space program that has been five decades in the making. First on this agenda was to cancel Constellation - a $10 billion investment five years in development. Embedded in the Constellation architecture was the culture of a long-range building block that could not only service the ISS, extend the life of Hubble, provide national security, but additionally would be capable of carrying us back to the moon and on to Mars. To replace Constellation was a "mission to nowhere" which had no near or long-term goals, time table, specific destination, and no direction for Human Space flight - and nowhere were there any specific plans for the design and building of hardware should any part of this agenda be overridden by Congress. Then came a decision to subsidize the commercial sector to "whatever extent it might take to make it successful" - a program that appears to have little or no transparency or NASA insight or oversight into existing problems or those that past experience has told us will crop up in the future. My thoughts on the commercial space claims are well-known. I stand behind my assertion that it will be near the end of the decade before these new entrants will be able to place a human safely and cost effectively in Earth orbit.
Now we have the termination of the Space Shuttle with, until recently, nothing on the Administration's horizon to replace it. It wasn't but a few months ago we had the most capable operationally proven launch vehicle available far into the future giving us unprecedented personal and payload access to low Earth orbit. Additionally, the Shuttle had the potential of being the catalyst for the assembly and return to Earth for deep space missions resulting in weight and performance advantages. Even if not in future plans to be the primary lift to LEO, the Shuttle certainly provided us with a versatile and redundant operational system. Isn't it ironic that we find ourselves today with no, zero capability to access the ISS? I believe the Shuttle retirement to be a poorly thought out and pre-mature decision. I take no solace in the failure of the last Soyuz booster, but if one examines the recent letter from Dr. Chris Kraft to Charlie Bolden concerning this and other problematic contingencies, serious questions could be asked. This letter requested only that the decision on Shuttle retirement be reconsidered in light of the fact that there was nothing to take its place for some indeterminate time in the future. I find it extremely disrespectful that, to my knowledge, Dr. Kraft has never to this date received a response to his personal letter.
Space Launch System (SLS):
Of record is the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 in which the plans were outlined to build a heavy lift vehicle with Congressionaly appropriated and authorized required funding. Several independent cost assessments as well as NASA itself verified that the program was technically and financially feasible as planned. Until this past week, NASA had continued to disregard, ignore, and flaunt the law and the mandate of the Congress while continuing to pursue its own agenda of disabling our nation's space program. It had become obvious that NASA as directed by the Administration has had no interest in following the law and the mandate of Congress in the development of a heavy lift launch vehicle.
It is only now after mandates, requests, investigations, a subpoena, and a stinging rebuke of the Administration by two very prominent Senators, that NASA has retreated on its delaying tactics to move forward with the development of a Space Launch System (SLS). This is certainly good news forced upon the Administration by concerned and wiser members of Congress, but this decision could well leave us hostage to Russia for access to the ISS for some time to come. Is it possible that the Administration's delay tactics in committing to the SLS somehow has its origin in the delays anticipated in commercial space's development of the capability to put a human in LEO in the foreseeable future?? My assessment of NASA's progress in the development of a heavy lift launch system to enable exploration beyond Earth orbit, as well as provide a capability to service the ISS should a commercial market entrant or our international partners become unavailable, is that it has been deceptive, inadequate and to date non-productive.
The Future:
Should the development of the SLS go forward as mandated by Congress along with the Orion Spacecraft as just announced by the Administration, I believe we will have the best and perhaps only opportunity within reach to narrow the gap that now exists between the final Shuttle flight and America's capability to regain access to Earth orbit and the ISS. Access to low Earth orbit should be our primary objective in any plans in the evolutionary development of a new versatile lift vehicle with future deep space missions as a follow on. This, I understand, is the mandate from Congress. Although it is the intent that the "full up" SLS give us the capability of designing a variable set of missions, I firmly believe that the time for a well thought out long term initiative for our nation's roll in space, with or without the SLS System, is long overdue. The "Mission to Somewhere" logically points to the moon, thereby building the foundation for a voyage to Mars. Unfortunately, it might well be a generation or more before the U.S. once again exerts its influence in Space Exploration beyond Earth orbit. "If we don't know where we are going, we might end up where we are headed." Nevertheless, since we have apparently decided to relegate the final Shuttle to a place in history, it becomes even more imperative that we move forward quickly and confidently on a LEO derivative of the SLS that can satisfy our urgent near-term requirements to access low Earth orbit.
Risks and Challenges:
As a consequence of the cancellation of Constellation, the termination of the Space Shuttle, and NASA's continued unwillingness to accede to Congressional mandates thus causing unnecessary delays over the past two and one-half years, the risks and challenges to NASA and the aerospace community are numerous. My immediate concerns are the deterioration of our technological base, the lack of stability of the NASA budget when considering the present state of the economy, the absence of the Administration's commitment to cooperate with Congress and forge an ambitious program, the question of continued bi-partisan Congressional support, and perhaps the most important risk with lasting effect, is the loss and dismemberment of our skilled workforce.
As a result of these factors, uncertainty and instability abound. Among the thousands of highly educated workers with unique skills developed over generations, once we lose the older, wiser, mature and experienced folks to retirement, who spent in some cases over five decades learning "what they didn't know they didn't know", along with those inspired and enthusiastic young minds of today's generation to other endeavors, inertia takes hold of the downward trend and it is difficult, costly and near impossible to reverse. And those young high school and college students whose dreams were to take their generation back to the moon and beyond are now questioning their plans to seek studies in science, engineering and math in the future. And for those fortunate few still at work within NASA or its contracting team, without a goal or mission, their future is bleak. Under this cloud of uncertainty most are seeking stability for themselves and their families by going elsewhere with their talents. I believe therein is the ongoing risk and challenge this country faces in any potential future development of human space systems. It's important to remember that "technology makes it possible, but people make it happen."
Testimony of May 26, 2010:
Very little if anything has changed my assessment of the Administration's space policy since my testimony before this Committee over a year ago. I recounted the words of my colleagues and myself in describing the Administration's plan for the future of Space Exploration - "Devastating", "Slide to mediocrity", "Third-rate stature", "Mission to nowhere." Although with the SLS System we will provide the foundation for designing "missions to somewhere" - they have yet to be defined. So today I stand behind my testimony and convictions of sixteen months ago. Nowhere did I find then nor do I find today one penny in the FY2011 budget proposal in support of Space Exploration. Although I do believe and hope that someday they will succeed, I still assess that those entrepreneurs in the world of commercial space who continue their claims of being able to put humans in space in little more than three years for something less than $5 billion, today still "don't yet know what they don't know." My statement that "the sole reliance on the Commercial Sector without a concurrent or back-up approach could very well lead to the abandonment of our $100 billion, 25 year investment in the ISS" is now more prophetic than ever.
"The space program has never been an entitlement, it's an investment in the future - an investment in technology, jobs, international respect and geo-political leadership, and perhaps most importantly in the inspiration and education of our youth. Those best and brightest minds at NASA and throughout the multitudes of private contractors, large and small, did not join the team to design windmills or redesign gas pedals, but to live their dreams of once again taking us where no man has gone before. If this Administration's agenda continues to override the mandates of Congress, these technicians, engineers, scientists, a generation removed from Apollo, yet re-inspired by the prospect of going back to the moon and on the Mars, will be gone - where I don't know - but gone." Sixteen months later, the absence of a well-defined NASA program has already resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs throughout the aerospace industry.
"America's human space flight program has for a half century risen above partisan differences from Eisenhower to Kennedy to the present day. The challenges and accomplishments of the past were those of a nation - never of a political party or of any individual agenda." Proven to be true today by the overwhelming Congressional support and mandates to NASA in support of future space developments.
"We are at a cross road. If we abdicate our leadership in space today, not only is human spaceflight and space exploration at risk, but I believe the future of this country and thus the future of our children and grandchildren as well. Now is the time for wiser heads in the Congress of the United States to prevail. Now is the time to overrule this Administration's pledge to mediocrity. Now is the time to be bold, innovative and wise in how we invest in the future of America. Now is the time to re-establish our nation's commitment to excellence."
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen - it not about space - it's about the country.
Thank you for your time and patience.
Sincerely, and with respect,
Eugene A. Cernan
Commander, Apollo XVII
// end //
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