WASHINGTON, D.C. -- During an oversight hearing on NASA’s implementation of the agency’s authorization act enacted earlier this year, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today told NASA and the Obama Administration that it must follow through by implementing the law into policy.

“Congress is concerned with the delays and implementation of this new law and that delay could cost our nation success,” said Senator Hutchison.  “If we are going to succeed with this new launch vehicle, we must have a design based on as many of the technologies that have already been developed and tested.  Certainly the heavy-lift boost and capsule design has to be the first priority and if there are any concerns about that implementation or if there are any impediments to that, we want to know right now because we still do have the opportunity to clarify the law if that is what it takes.  But in order to succeed, we must be able to count on the Administration fulfilling the requirements of the law and working with Congress in a collegial spirit to do what the law says.”

“Space exploration is part of the golden history of this country and it is also essential to our future,” Senator Hutchison said.  “If we are going to use the space station in a productive way, if we are going to be innovative and creative, we must move forward with the plan that has been put forward by Congress and signed by the President for us to be successful.  If it is dragged out and we do not have a design, and we do not have a budget that would meet the test of the design, we could lose the whole thing and see other countries take precedence over America in the exploration of space.  I look forward to working with the agency to put together a budget that will allow our new design and our goals to go forward and succeed.”

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 You can view Senator Hutchison’s statement here.