By Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO)
Congress faces very tough decisions to meet our national security and domestic needs at a time of deficits. Our commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan have also placed tremendous stress on our military. We face societal needs that have been too long deferred, and a budget deficit that threatens our children’s future.
Given this environment, can we afford to spend scarce discretionary dollars on space and aeronautics R&D? It is a fair question, but not the right one to ask. The real question is whether we can afford not to invest in this research. I say “invest” rather than “spend,” because that is what we are doing when we provide funding for these R&D initiatives – we are making investments that will pay significant dividends down the road.
The primary reason to support these investments is to ensure that America maintains an economic, national security and intellectual edge in the 21st century. As the National Academies warned in its historic report “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” in 2005, our country is in peril of losing our competitive edge unless we make substantial investments in science, math, research and innovation. Space and aeronautics are a part of a successful strategy to maintain our edge.
A business leader in my state, Tom Clark, told me that economic development is fundamentally about expanding the environment for knowledge and human capital. That wisdom applies globally as much as it does locally.
There are specific benefits to consider as well.
Earth science research can lead to improved weather forecasting and increase our knowledge of the dynamics and impacts of climate change, and can enhance our ability to manage our forests, water resources and agricultural crops, as well as monitor natural disasters and other emergencies.
Investing in space science can help us answer fundamental questions about the origin of the universe – a subject that goes far beyond the interests of physics instructors – and can lead to practical benefits, including helping us to better understand and mitigate the impact of phenomena like solar flares on our communications and power-distribution infrastructure.
Aeronautics and aviation R&D investments can benefit the public with safer, quieter, cleaner and more energy-efficient aircraft. These investments can support a badly needed upgrade for our national air transportation system, and can help provide advanced technologies that will continue to protect our national security.
Investing in human space flight and exploration will inspire and motivate the next generation to pursue careers in science, which in turn helps us to maintain our edge in high-tech and research, allowing us to maintain American leadership among the world’s space-faring nations.
In other words, investing in civil space and aeronautics can promote our competitiveness, strengthen our national security, advance our knowledge and improve our quality of life.
The premier federal agency for many of these investments is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Today, NASA is being asked by the White House and Congress to carry out important and extremely challenging initiatives in science, aeronautics and human space flight. The president has asked NASA to undertake an ambitious initiative to develop a new human space transportation system – which the NASA administrator describes as a “once-in-a-generation undertaking.” At the same time, NASA is being asked to return American astronauts to the Moon by 2020. Yet NASA is also being told not to expect more than modest increases in its funding – funding that accounts for little more than half a percent of the total federal budget.
We already are seeing the effects of that mismatch between the tasks NASA has been asked to undertake and the resources it is being given, and the stresses are only going to worsen if additional resources are not made available. In other words, “We’re not going to get there from here” if we continue to follow the current approach of asking NASA to do more than we are willing to pay for.
What is the answer? Some would argue that we need to scale back our commitment to NASA. I disagree. The nation needs to set challenging goals for NASA because achieving those goals will deliver benefits to our society that far outweigh the discretionary dollars invested. However, those ambitious goals need to be matched by adequate funding, because at the end of the day, particularly in an evermore competitive global economy, investing in progress is not “discretionary” – it is necessary.
Udall is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics of the Science & Technology Committee.
