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Science, Technology, and Space Issues
Colorado is a leading state for science and research. This means that Colorado draws upon some of the brightest minds and best entrepreneurs in the nation, and keeps our state on the cutting edge of economic development and innovation. For this reason, I have been a Member of the Science and Technology Committee since my first term in Congress. This Committee has jurisdiction over several federal agencies that have an important presence in Colorado, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Science Foundation (NSF). In the 110th Congress, I became Chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee. I want to ensure that Colorado remains a leader in technological innovation and scientific progress.
NASA
Colorado has the second highest private aerospace employment in the country -- linking NASA’s success to our own. I am a strong supporter of the goals and work of NASA because healthy programs in science, aeronautics, human space flight and exploration benefit both the nation as a whole as well as the economy of Colorado. NASA has four primary objectives that need our support:
- Earth Science: NASA’s Earth science program is critical to advancing our understanding of the impacts that climate and weather variables have here on Earth and has enabled us to better manage our resources and protect our citizens.
- Space Exploration: With the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, Congress endorsed the President’s Vision for Space Exploration and its objective to get humans back to the moon and then on to Mars. This revitalization of the human space exploration program has begun with the planned retirement of the Space Shuttle, which has served our country and our astronauts for many years. The Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) will replace the shuttle and development is already underway.
- Space Science Research: NASA has been at the forefront of research and innovation for decades. NASA’s Hubble Telescope has opened our eyes to the worlds beyond our universe. The James Webb Telescope, which will launch in 2013, will add even more to our knowledge about our universe and beyond.
- Aeronautics: NASA is the lead agency for aeronautics research and development and has helped the US become a leader in this industry. Its aeronautics programs are critical to our competitiveness, our national security, our quality of life, and the efficiency and safety of our future national air traffic management system.
NASA has been asked to do much without adequate funding and I am especially concerned about funding cuts for the aeronautics and science programs. I continue to work in Congress to address NASA’s funding and help ensure that the agency continues to get the resources it needs to accomplish the goals that we expect of it.
FAA Reauthorization and Air Traffic Safety
As Chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, I have played a leadership role in advancing legislation to address the operations of the Federal Aviation Administration, the federal agency that has the largest role to play in maintaining air traffic safety and in keeping our air transportation systems up to date. The subcommittee has supported authorization of new responsibilities for research and development. This is of particular importance in developing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)—a program that will replace the nation’s current air traffic management system, which is being pushed to its limits and will be unable to satisfy projected demand for future air travel. Other programs that I am proud to have helped promote include improving aviation safety, new steps to understand and curtail airplane emissions—which is an important element of addressing climate change, and efforts to make aircraft engines more efficient.
NIST and NSF
For the first time since 1992, the operations of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), an important federal agency that advances our technology infrastructure and helps keep our economy growing, are being fully reauthorized by Congress. I am a co-sponsor of this legislation, and am happy to say that it includes provisions for important and long-overdue upgrades. NIST is a world leader in semiconductor research and nanotechnology, but is hampered by old facilities that are unable to prevent highly sensitive research from being disturbed by humidity and traffic vibrations. New construction at the Boulder, Colorado facilities will improve this and help NIST continue its groundbreaking work. The Boulder labs are some of NIST’s most important facilities, and ensuring their success means that we can keep high-tech jobs in Colorado and ensure that technology-related private industries are coming here for help.
I am also a co-sponsor of legislation to address operations of the National Science Foundation (NSF). NSF-funded research made possible the discovery of the “ozone hole,” developed the first Web browser, advanced the field of molecular genetics, and funded much of the early research leading to the development of speech activation and recognition technology. Less directly but no less importantly, NSF is often the major source of support for education and training of Ph.D. scientists and engineers, many of whom have gone on to make major private-sector contributions in the development of cell phones, fiber optics, and computer assisted design. The legislation will ensure that NSF has the resources to continue encouraging scientists to endeavor on high-risk research and help encourage more science and math education in our secondary school classrooms.
NOAA
NOAA is the lead federal agency dealing with our water ecosystems, atmosphere, and weather. The National Weather Service is housed in NOAA. In Colorado, NOAA operates the Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL). This laboratory has the largest concentration of NOAA research staff in the nation, and the state of Colorado is proud to host so many top-quality scientists engaged in unraveling the secrets of the Earth.
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