WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Reps. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Brian Babin (R-Texas) today penned the following op-ed for the Houston Chronicle celebrating the passage of the bi-partisan Cruz-Nelson NASA Transition Authorization Act. This legislation ensures that the Johnson Space Center remains the crown jewel of NASA’s human spaceflight missions. The Houston Chronicle also featured an article detailing the legislative ambitions of the bill, including exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond.
Excerpts of the Senator’s op-ed and the Houston Chronicle article are below. The full op-ed may be viewed here, and the full article may be viewed here.
A strong step for Texas, and one giant leap for space exploration
Houston Chronicle
By: Sen. Ted Cruz, Reps. Lamar Smith and Brian Babin
March 8, 2017
From President Kennedy’s 1962 call at Rice University to place a man on the moon within the decade, to the phrase, “Houston … The Eagle has landed,” to the first private rocket launch on Matagorda Island, Texas’ leadership in space exploration is undeniable.
Travel across Texas today, and it’s not hard to see the substantial economic investment the space industry is making in communities such as Midland and Van Horn in the West, McGregor in Central Texas, Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley, and Houston in the Southeast. These investments are creating new manufacturing facilities and high-tech jobs.
Space exploration is also critical to the global competitiveness of the United States as our nation seeks to remain the leader in space. Unfortunately, in recent years, uncertainty and cancellations of core missions have clouded the future of NASA and the broader space industry. Cancellations to programs such as Constellation, which sought to return astronauts to the moon and beyond, have had lasting negative consequences not only on NASA but on the economy.
This legislation, supported broadly by Republicans and Democrats, advances the deep exploration of space by humans, ensures full utilization of the International Space Station and fosters the commercialization and economic development of low Earth orbit. In Texas, this legislation will ensure that the Johnson Space Center remains the crown jewel when it comes to providing mission support to NASA’s human spaceflight missions.
Our legislation also directs NASA to end our dependence on Russia for transporting American astronauts to and from space, and empowers the U.S. to transport and, if necessary, rescue our own astronauts from the ISS in the event of an emergency. Our support of NASA’s commercial crew program will enable us to once again launch our astronauts from U.S. soil as early as next year.
We look forward to President Trump signing this legislation into law so that our nation, and the great state of Texas, can continue to extend the reach of humans and commerce throughout our galaxy.
With eyes on Mars, Congress sends NASA bill to Trump
Houston Chronicle
By: Kevin Diaz
March 7, 2017
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House overwhelmingly approved sweeping new NASA legislation Tuesday, charting an ambitious course to the moon, Mars, “and beyond” while a slew of private space ventures vie for a bigger piece of the action in deep space.
The 146-page bill, shepherded through Congress by a number of prominent Texas Republicans, including Sen. Ted Cruz, seeks a balance between the government space agency and private sector upstarts like Blue Origin and SpaceX, which have set their sights on taking tourists to the moon.
“The bipartisan bill, following a Senate collaboration between Cruz and Florida Democrat Bill Nelson, would advance NASA’s development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew vehicle for deep space exploration. It also would support development of commercial vehicles to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, ending the United States’ reliance on Russian launches.
Cruz said the bill provides “much-needed certainty” to the missions of the International Space Station and Johnson Space Center.
“We are also making a serious commitment to the manned exploration of space, laying the groundwork for the Mars mission and enabling commercial space ventures to flourish, all of which will foster extraordinary economic growth and job creation throughout Texas,” he said.”