Governor Crist And Lt. Governor Kottkamp Address Florida's Role In Space Program

Florida Governor Charlie Crist Thursday highlighted the importance of aerospace to Florida's economy and the national space program.  His comments came during a discussion with reporters in Orlando at the 2009 Farm to Fuel Summit.

Florida Gov. Crist

"The importance of extending the life of the Space Shuttle program cannot be overestimated," said Governor Crist. "What I'd like to see is less of a gap between the shuttle program and the Constellation program.  In fact, the best situation would be to have an overlap of the two."

Also today, on behalf of Governor Crist and the State of Florida, Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp provided testimony to the U.S. Human Space Flight Review Committee in Cocoa Beach.  He addressed four critical topics relating to Florida's space industry:  the "gap" created by NASA's current plan to retire the Space Shuttle by the end of 2010 and succeeding Constellation projects, International Space Station impacts, commercial aerospace initiatives, and preservation of U.S. heavy lift capability. 

Kennedy Space Center

Lt. Governor Kottkamp also presented the following suggestions to the commission to ensure Florida's leadership in the United States' aerospace program:

• Establish a policy to maximize the use of existing infrastructure; retain strategically skilled workers; and explore new opportunities for state/federal collaboration.
• Commit to the development or retention of a near-term heavy-lift launch capability that matches or exceeds the capability of the Space Shuttle.
• Close the human space flight "gap," by allowing the continuation of the Shuttle program without the constraint of the 2010 deadline, and accelerating the development of a next-generation launch system.
• Accelerate and maximize the use of commercial launch services for International Space Station cargo and crew transport.
• Establish Kennedy Space Center and the state-developed Space Life Sciences Lab as an official part of the International Space Station "National Laboratory" that will remain in operation at a minimum to 2020.
• Expand Kennedy Space Center's value-added role in appropriate areas, including early involvement in the design and testing of next-generation launch vehicles; a greater role in applied research and development for space transportation technologies and lunar/Mars base systems; and responsibility for logistics and supply chain management for NASA's exploration effort.

"These are critical times for Florida and the space sector, and the challenges include the NASA transition and funding issues, the emergence of commercial space, and heightened interests by the United States Department of Defense in space," Lt. Governor Kottkamp said. "Despite the very challenging global fiscal environment, Florida has taken a long-term view, and decisive actions will serve both Florida's, and our nation's future."

FMI: www.myflorida.com