Barbara Mikulski

To be an astronaut, you have to be daring, you have to be courageous, you have to be agile.

And it's the big deal.

Well, I understand that the Hubble has led to 7,000 scientific papers, and that the information on Hubble, even that which continues to be analyzed, could fill two Libraries of Congress...

The other thing that was required, in addition to the astronauts, was these tools.

One of the things that really so touched me about what NASA did--and I'll just tell this little story.

What I would like to ask, is that you make available, the Dr. Joyce Winterton, Assistant Administrator for Education, to meet with our staff so that we really have an idea of the comprehensive scope that you are doing, and how we can be…

The President has made a significant investment in this year's budget, and we really appreciate this, because it's then not left up to the Congress to restore science, which it has been in the last decade.

I'm so proud of Hubble. You know, it's gone where no telescope has gone before.

I understand that it is $126 million, that there's been a reduction of $43 million.

I think what the committee would appreciate, and also the Congress would appreciate, as it looks at climate change legislation, for us to have an inventory of these very important climate projects.

We are so proud, here, in this subcommittee, that we fund 80 percent of all climate change science.

We're talking about thousands of people who've really served the Nation with fidelity and reliability, I mean, they really kept the Shuttle going.

We would not know today about the global climate crisis if it were not for NASA.

The administration is committed to flying the Space Shuttle 8 more times to finish the Space Station.

This is--this is stunning, and it will--it impacts thousands of lives.

I'm really proud of NASA and what they've done in this. And they have been truly a tremendous voice to--not only scientists--but for those who have stewardships about their individual nations' futures.

Without truly supporting and building upon the human and heavy-lift launch capabilities that are already under development, our astronauts will have no choice but to wave at the Russians...

You know, everybody dumped buckets of money into the banks because they said we need their talent.

But the administration is counting on these 8 flights to be done by 2010.

I would have trouble, Madam Chairwoman, supporting a budget that is poised to eliminate a real manned space program, and instead maintains the fantasy of one.

This is a real victory.

We're ready to do legislation on the global climate crisis.

And there is no contingency plan beyond that, except, 'If we get to it, we'll deal with it?'

We may be the leader in manned space flight today, but the eventual ramifications of this budget... has the potential to ensure that this lead will end, perhaps forever.

The Senate is a wonderful institution, we've actually had three astronaut Senators--John Glenn, Jake Garn, and Bill Nelson.