Member Speeches :: April 8, 2008

Remarks by Rep. Mark Udall before the National Space Symposium

Good morning.  It’s a real pleasure for me to be here at the National Space Symposium. And I’m very pleased to be able to welcome all of you to Colorado.

It’s highly appropriate that you are holding your meeting here in Colorado. It may be a surprise to some of you—as it is to a number of my constituents—but Colorado plays a vital role in the nation’s space activities. In fact, Colorado has the second-largest space economy in the nation.  It is estimated that more than 170 thousand people are working in space-related jobs in the state. Colorado is deeply involved across-the-board in space activities—civil, commercial, and military. And we have more than 300 aerospace companies scattered throughout the state, including seven major aerospace contractors with significant operations here.

 Read Udall's complete speech