 |
|
|---|
|
 |
The Aerospace Industries Association salutes NASA and the many aerospace companies that made possible the first manned landing on the Moon 35 years ago. The Apollo 11 expedition to the Moon was the culmination of masterful engineering, planning and coordination between thousands of interested parties. It was also the realization of a vision—a challenge that had been presented only eight years earlier by President John F. Kennedy. Answering the challenge to land men safely on the moon required the greatest commitment of technological and financial resources ($24 billion), ever made by any nation in peacetime. According to NASA, the Apollo program at its peak employed 400,000 Americans and required the support of over 20,000 industrial firms and universities. Today, The United States prepares to embark on a new phase of space exploration, and answer a new challenge—to return humans to the Moon, to Mars and beyond. To realize that dream, NASA will require sustained support. AIA has encouraged Congress and the administration to endorse NASA’s budget request of $16.2 billion for fiscal year 2005, which includes an $866 million increase to advance the critical work of safely returning the Shuttle to flight, completing assembly of the International Space Station, and rekindling robotic and human programs for exploration activities beyond low-Earth orbit. NASA’s new vision for the exploration of space is consistent with the report issued by the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry, particularly in its recommendation to develop new technologies for space exploration. AIA looks forward to cooperating with NASA as it continues our nation’s quest to explore space and to further the contributions that space exploration has made to our economy, national security and international competitiveness.
Visit AIA’s homepage at www.aia-aerospace.org
Contact: Matt Grimison, AIA |
Copyright © 2008 Aerospace Industries Association. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy