Jerry Brown: “Mr. Chairman, sometimes I have difficulty determining what the value of these perennial debates are, but being an…”

“Mr. Chairman, sometimes I have difficulty determining what the value of these perennial debates are, but being an eternal optimist, I am going to assume that they will result in some enlightenment on those who have not been sufficiently informed. Mr. Chairman, the history is subject to a lot of debate. It is true that, as with every project I have been associated with over the last 30-odd years, there are misrepresentations made, not intentionally but necessarily, as to what the final cost and parameters of any project like this will be, and the space station is one of those. We are finding out some interesting things. It represents some breakthroughs which we did not anticipate. for example, the inclusion of the Russians was never planned, it was serendipitous, and it may have some beneficial effects. There were over-promises made about what the research would do, but nobody questions the fact that there will be valuable results from the research. The most important thing is that if Members really believe that there is any potential for human activity in space, it has to have a space station.”