On the recordMarch 25, 2010
Mr. Speaker, Lori Garver is the number two administrator at NASA, who is a political appointee that has been given credit as the prime author of the program to cut the Constellation. In a speech in Maryland a fortnight ago, she said, ``NASA has changed their goals,'' and seemed to indicate that the new goals of NASA will be to end poverty and hunger, create world peace, education, save the environment, and, in a note of bitter irony, create new jobs. It would seem that Ms. Garver perhaps should look at her door and realize that, since 1958, the goal of NASA has been space: to be first in space science, first in space exploration, first in man flights. And the Constellation program is the program that works, with an emphasis on human safety to accomplish this. Ms. Garver's plan would cede control of the heavens to the Russians and the Chinese, probably for most our lifetime, and has the unintended consequence of hurting education, aerospace, ironically enough defense, and jobs. Mr. Speaker, we can and should do better. ____________________
