AIA Outlines Issues for Space
AIA President and CEO Marion C. Blakey testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies April 14 supporting proposed increases in both NASA and NOAA's budget. Encouraging the subcommittee to continue its support of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs, Blakey highlighted industry's concerns about the effects on the workforce and industrial base of the proposed cancellation of the Constellation program.
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| Photo credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video |
In addition to Blakey’s oral testimony on space, AIA submitted written testimony advocating for strong U.S. leadership in space to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Science and Space and to the House Science and Technology Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
In both submissions, AIA emphasized that our nation’s space programs need stable and robust funding. By their very nature space programs take several years to develop, test and build. Fluctuating budgets and delayed programs take their toll on schedule, production and maintaining a uniquely skilled workforce. Even small delays could cause permanent loss of human capital and reduce options for retaining this specially trained and skilled workforce.
Given the changing focus of the Administration’s efforts in space, AIA believes it is imperative that a long-term space strategy be developed with milestones along the way that takes both civil and national security space requirements into account, and mandates a skills needs assessment to determine the level and type of capabilities required to achieve the strategy.
AIA Source: dan.stohr[at]aia-aerospace.org
