A Triumph for the American Space Program
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives defied the wishes of President 
Bush and by a wide margin of 409-15 approved an extra $2b dollars for NASA. The rare, almost unanimous support sends a strong message that the space program is vital to America and still the most visible sign to the world that America is a technological leader. Both Democrats and Republicans came together and found a cause they could unite on and in turn made clear to the next administration that the space program is off limits. As Rep. Gene Greene, a Democrat from Houston put it “The price we pay to fund NASA is a bargain”. Rep. Kevin Brady, a Republican from Texas , said this was “no time to be shortchanging the space program”. While the bill must now go to the Senate the support shown today reflects the passion that America has always had and continues to have for the space program. A few have continued a drumbeat to end the manned spaceflight program, but with dwindling resources here on planet Earth our future and survival may indeed lie in the stars. Kudos to both parties in the Congress for having the courage and strength to stand up for the program and help guarantee that America’s space program will remain the world’s leader.