WASHINGTON, D.C. –   Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Republican on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today voiced her strong concerns that the United States was on the verge of losing its advantage in space after the initial summary of the Human Space Flight Review panel was released. 

“For the past forty years, America has been the global leader in space. We were the first to the moon and our space shuttle system allowed construction of the International Space Station, the world’s first permanent outpost among the stars,” said Senator Hutchison.  “But today we stand on the brink of losing our dominance in space.  We must change our current approach to human spaceflight because a seven year gap without the ability to send Americans into space on American vehicles is unacceptable.  The report findings confirm what many of us have been warning against for several years. This must be a wakeup call for our nation and this administration must carefully address these issues if we are to retain our historic advantage and dominance in space.”

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