Executive Director Says America Falling Behind As A Result

AIAA Executive Director Robert Dickman, Maj Gen USAF (retired) testified Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on  "Reauthorizing the Vision for Space Exploration." He stressed at a funding level of only a fraction of a percent of the annual federal budget, NASA is unable to adequately fund all of its necessary programs, and that this is putting America’s overall technical strength and long-term economic growth at risk.

Dickman’s prepared testimony stated in order to meet the requirements for the Constellation program, NASA is being forced to drastically reduce funding for programs that have been at the core of the nation’s excellence in science and technology. For example, space-related life science and physical research programs have been reduced by 85 percent since 2003.

For such fundamental research programs, Dickman said "If NASA doesn’t do it, it won’t get done -- at least not in this country." Meanwhile, other nations such as China continue robust research in these areas, and "are poised to assume the scientific and technological leadership that we are letting slip away."

He pointed to the critical need of investment in basic science and technology for the space program: "We have been evolving the technology of the 1950s ballistic missile program for half a century... If we are flying legacy based rockets thirty years from now, our only payloads will be from the government. Anyone with a choice will have gone overseas."

NASA programs are strongly linked to education and the quality of the US workforce, Dickman noted. While NASA is not the sole source of funding for technology, it provides the most visible motivation for young people to study "STEM" subjects -- science, technology, engineering and math. Dickman calls for STEM legislation to provide strong support for technology and engineering education in particular, at all levels from kindergarten through university.

Dickman concluded his oral testimony with a wake-up call to Congress, saying that as a nation we are not doing what is needed in education, aeronautical research and development, and life and space sciences, and that "NASA is too important to this nation -- to our education, to our overall technical strength, to our long-term economic growth … to continue to be under funded."

FMI: Read Dickman's Complete Testimony (.pdf), www.aiaa.org