Space

On January 14 President Bush gave one of the most important speeches a President can give. He set our nation once again on a course to the future. This future will see American men and women return to the moon for extended periods and journey to the planet Mars.

This initiative is a big boost to NASA and its dedicated men and women to be sure. But it is much more than that. It is for our next generation of Americans. President Bush wants a new generation of Americans to have an unlimited future - a future in which space exploration will play a key role. My generation was inspired by Americans walking on the moon and flying in space. We were inspired to study science and engineering. And we put those talents to great use in building America's economy to the envy of the world. Our new generation of young Americans watches countless movies and television shows featuring humans working and living on other worlds. Now President Bush has challenged them to make these visions real. And they will!

President Bush's space initiative will involve new NASA programs. But it will be much more than just Government work. It will ignite our vast private sector's talent and resources to lead the way in space - generating great new wealth and capability. In a few months this private sector will fly ordinary Americans in space for the first time. In a few months wholly privately-financed rockets will blast new low-cost satellites into orbit. These satellites will contribute a new dimension to our pressing national security problems. We will hear some of these ideas today.

America is not alone in understanding the promise of space exploration. Even now the first in a series of European missions to the moon is underway. More will soon follow from India, Japan and China. These nations have all announced their intent to place humans on other worlds beginning with the moon. Some of these nations are allies. But they are all our economic competitors. They know that their space exploration will stimulate their new generations to develop technical and ultimately economically powerful new capabilities.

It has been almost 30 years since Americans last walked on another world. Much has changed. New technologies abound. New ideas have emerged. Some have criticized the exploration effort as unaffordable and extravagant. This is manifestly untrue. Most of the Government resources needed for human exploration of the moon and Mars will come from re-orienting our priorities within NASA. More significantly though, other resources will come from the American entrepreneurs who will reap the rewards of their space investments.

I am proud to chair the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space. I'm proud to be here today in Houston - where America's past journeys to other worlds were led and where our future journeys will begin. Your work will continue to inspire our new generations. It is America's destiny to lead - to lead the world in science, technology and space, to lead in economic development and to lead humanity to other worlds.