Sat, Jul 31, 2010
Statement Calls On The U.S. House To Bring The Bill To The
Floor
The Planetary Society issued a statement Thursday about the
request that the U.S. House of Representatives suspend the rules
when voting on the NASA Authorization bill:
"The U.S. House of Representatives is being asked today
(Thursday) to bring a highly controversial NASA Authorization bill
(H.R. 5781) to the floor for a quick vote before Congress heads out
of town for its summer break. The NASA bill would be taken up under
procedures to "suspend the rules" that limit debate and do not
allow amendments or changes to the bill. The future of the space
program is too important to rush through a controversial change in
policy.
"The Planetary Society is very concerned that the proposed NASA
Authorization, which was only recently unveiled by the House
Science and Technology committee, has taken an approach to space
exploration that deviates significantly from any plan offered by
NASA or any previous Administration -- one that raises many
fundamental questions about the direction and sustainability of the
space program.
"Specifically, the proposed bill abandons any significant
investment in exploration technology, effectively eliminates the
Administration's approach for engaging the commercial sector,
establishes a program of loan guarantees that the Administration
did not request, and seeks to reinstate programs that have been
determined to be unsustainable. It also proposed no specific
exploration goals for U.S. human spaceflight, a serious omission
that was recognized after the tragic loss of life on the shuttle
Columbia. Human space flight should be worth its cost and risk,
and, as the Augustine Committee stated after an independent review
of the U.S. human spaceflight program, "worthy of a great
nation."
"There has been inadequate time to review and understand the
implications of this new plan. Therefore, the Society urges the
House leadership to wait until after the August recess to bring the
bill to the House Floor, allowing a full and open debate and for
amendments to improve the bill."
Space News reports that house aides said late Thursday night
that the bill likely would not be be heading to the floor until
sometime in September, after the summer recess.
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