Richard Shelby: “today the Senator from Arkansas takes his final shot at terminating funding for the International Space Station. For the…”

“today the Senator from Arkansas takes his final shot at terminating funding for the International Space Station. For the eighth consecutive year, he argues that America should abandon its commitment as the leader of this historic endeavor. The Space Station is real and well on its way to orbit. Last year, NASA employees and contractors at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama finished construction of Node 1, the first significant piece of flight hardware. Since then, the Pressurized Mating Adapters, Integrated Electrical Assembly, Z1 Truss, Long Spacer, FGB Control Module are being prepared for integration tests and launch. Those who do not believe that America should maintain its leadership in space exploration speak only of the expense of building man's next great adventure of the space age. While I also am concerned about cost overruns and Russian participation, it is reasonable to expect some unforeseen costs given the complexity of the station. The critics also fail to mention that past funding for the space station now exceeds proposed future investment. More than 50 percent of the costs have been paid, and more than 80 percent of the development will be complete by the end of the current fiscal year. It does not make sense to abort this mission at this time.”