HM 1405

1
House Memorial
2A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3Congress to fully support the space program and recognize
4the significance of research related to human space
5flight.
6
7     WHEREAS, the Space Shuttle program is scheduled to end in
8the near future, and
9     WHEREAS, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
10is beginning the transition to new launch systems that enable
11humans to explore beyond low earth orbit, and
12     WHEREAS, NASA and the White House Office of Science and
13Technology Policy established the Review of U.S. Human Space
14Flight Plans Committee to review the progress and status of the
15national human space exploration mission and the programs and
16systems being developed to enable human space exploration, and
17     WHEREAS, the committee found that human space exploration
18can drive technology innovation, develop commercial industries
19and national capabilities, demonstrate international leadership
20and contribute to scientific knowledge, inspire the next
21generation, and chart a path for human expansion into the solar
22system, and
23     WHEREAS, the committee found that human exploration beyond
24low earth orbit is not viable under the current federal budget
25guidelines and that additional annual funding for human space
26exploration is necessary in order to establish a meaningful
27program, and
28     WHEREAS, the committee found that NASA's budget should
29match its mission and goals, and that NASA should be given the
30ability to shape its organization and infrastructure
31accordingly, while maintaining facilities of national
32importance, and
33     WHEREAS, the current budget will result in a significant
34gap in U.S. human space flight capabilities, which may result in
35the loss of critical national capabilities of workforce
36experience and the aerospace industrial base, and
37     WHEREAS, the State of Florida has invested $27 million in
38the Space Life Sciences Lab at the John F. Kennedy Space Center
39to promote life sciences research, and
40     WHEREAS, it is in the national interest to establish a
41robust and sustainable program of human space exploration, NOW,
42THEREFORE,
43
44Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
45
46     That the Congress of the United States is requested to:
47     (1)  Increase the level of NASA's budget to a level
48sufficient to enable the development of exploration systems and
49vehicles, operate the International Space Station through 2020,
50and reduce the gap in U.S. human space flight;
51     (2)  Support the life sciences research necessary for long-
52term human space flight beyond low earth orbit;
53     (3)  Direct appropriate work and programs to utilize
54Florida's unique workforce skills and aerospace facilities to
55preserve and enhance national space launch capability; and
56     (4)  Support the increased utilization and sustainable
57development of federal and state spaceports as national
58resources supporting commercial enterprises and research and
59technology development.
60     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
61dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
62President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
63United States House of Representatives, and to each member of
64the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.


CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.