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AIA Space Council Testifies Before Aldridge Commission on National Strategy for Space Exploration WASHINGTON, D.C., February 11 – The aerospace industry enthusiastically embraced the president’s vision for space exploration today and urged the government to develop policies to strengthen the aerospace industrial base. The future course of American manned space flight—where we’re going and how we plan to get there—was the subject of the first public hearing of the President's Commission on Implementation of U.S. Space Exploration Policy (Moon, Mars and Beyond). Raymond Ernst, chair of the Aerospace Industries Association’s Space Council and Director of Space Transport at Lockheed Martin Corporation, testified today that AIA’s member companies supported the president’s vision for future space exploration. He noted that AIA companies produced nearly all of the hardware and software used in U.S. space exploration and as such, represented the nation’s space industrial base. Ernst said the president’s vision successfully met AIA recommendations urging the government to develop near-term, mid-term and long-term objectives for space exploration. He also said that AIA has asked the government to restore funding for space-related science and technology (S&T) to levels that will support technological and economic progress. The plan will help in that area, he said, as well as help increase the number of science missions and therefore strengthen the U.S. space workforce and industrial base. He added that the commercial incentives for aerospace companies in the president’s FY ’05 budget “are good, but we would like to see them broadened.” “There are specific milestones in this plan that industry can get its teeth into,” he said, adding however, that this vision can only be realized through “dedicated and pragmatic collaboration between government, industry and academia, where much of our new intellectual property is generated.” He also pointed out that other NASA programs, such as Earth science and aeronautics still needed funding. He added that industry hoped the government would continue to maintain a balance between robotic and manned missions. Chaired by Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge, the commission is tasked with implementation of the president’s new space policy, "A Renewed Spirit of Discovery," a plan for affordable human and robotic programs to explore the solar system, beginning with a return to the Moon before the year 2020, followed by a manned trip to Mars.
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Contact: Matt Grimison, AIA |
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