Sens. Cruz and Peters Convene Bipartisan Hearing to Reassert American Leadership in Space

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), ranking member, today convened a hearing titled ‘NASA at a Crossroads: Reasserting American Leadership in Space Exploration.’ This hearing focused on the importance of reauthorizing NASA and establishing renewed consistency in U.S. space programs to ensure that America remains the world leader of space exploration throughout the 21st century. It has been nearly a decade since Congress last reauthorized NASA. 

“Today, we pay our respects to the achievements and lessons of history, but we also seek out a hopeful future that has its roots in our nation’s frontier history and the promise of new discovery,” Sen. Cruz said in his opening statement. “We have come together in this committee room to reassert American leadership in space… Human space exploration and innovation are integral to the mission of NASA. That’s why this subcommittee will work to provide NASA with the security and stability that is necessary as the agency transitions from one administration to the next, and I look forward to working with Ranking Member Peters throughout this process.”

“Since we last left the moon nearly 45 years ago, we are now on the cusp of journeying once again to deep space. And we are not just going to cautiously dip our toes in the water and then pull back – we are going boldly, and we are going to stay,” said Sen. Peters. “I thank Senator Cruz for calling today’s hearing and look forward to working with my colleagues to reauthorize NASA and provide the agency with the stability needed to achieve the ambitious goals we have set for our space program.”

Watch Sen. Cruz’s full opening statement here. The transcript in its entirety is available below:

“Exploration – the need to seek out the unknown, to expand our civilization, and to create new enterprise. 

“Nearly 400 years ago, some of our nation’s first pioneers, the pilgrims, set out across the white-tipped Atlantic Ocean in search of the New World.

“William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied by great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

“It is that same answerable courage and restless desire to seek out the unknown that led our country to expand Westward, to create new industries, and eventually to look towards the heavens to chart out a new course for American discovery and free enterprise.

“With names like Armstrong, Aldrin, Shepard, and Lovell, we set off through the vistas of space and inspired a nation. However, this journey hasn’t always been easy and has come at great cost as we remember fallen heroes like Grissom, Husband, and McAuliffe.

“Today, we pay our respects to the achievements and lessons of history, but we also seek out a hopeful future that has its roots in our nation’s frontier history and the promise of new discovery. We have come together in this committee room to reassert American leadership in space. 

“My priority for this subcommittee is to ensure that the United States remains the leader in space exploration in the 21st century. We began last year by committing our nation to fostering the continued development of a strong commercial space sector through the passage and enactment of the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act. 

“Now, we look to build on that foundation by focusing NASA’s energies on continuing to make progress in exploring space and redoubling its partnerships with the private sector. Human space exploration and innovation are integral to the mission of NASA.

“That’s why this subcommittee will work to provide NASA with the security and stability that is necessary as the agency transitions from one administration to the next, and I look forward to working with Ranking Member Peters throughout this process. We have unfortunately seen what can happen to NASA and the spirit of its employees when worthy missions and programs are clouded in uncertainty and cancellations. 

“Cancellations to programs such as Constellation, which sought to return astronauts to the moon and beyond, or the retirement of the shuttle program have had lasting consequences that NASA and the broader space community are still grappling with today.

“These cancellations have left our country completely dependent on the Russians to get American astronauts to and from low-Earth orbit at a cost of $82 million per seat. If we can keep NASA on its current path, it is likely that the commercial crew program will finally launch American astronauts from U.S. soil by the end of 2017. Additionally, as we set our sights on a journey to Mars, it is imperative that we continue to build the Space Launch System and Orion, which will take NASA into deep space and lead us to new discoveries.

“Our path forward is not easy, but it is necessary for the future of our American space program. We must continue to expand the domain of free enterprise deeper into space- to do it first- and to lead the world – and to ensure that we don’t squander the opportunity before us today.” 

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