NASA Space Shuttle Program 1981-2011

Statement by Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX); member of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee; Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee; on the end of the Space Shuttle program:

Today we say Godspeed to the crew of Atlantis and farewell to a successful era of American space exploration. For the past thirty years, the Space Shuttle has been the focus of manned spaceflight. We should salute the thousands of men and women at NASA and companies with whom it contracts for their service to our nation and their contributions to mankind. Their work is a testament to American ingenuity that has impacted all areas of modern life.

While the world is focused on the final shuttle launch today, it is important that we also focus on the future of human space exploration. In the near term, the United States will be without the ability to send astronauts into space for the first time since 1961.

NASA is building the new Space Launch System and Multipurpose Crew Vehicle to return us to space. This should be a priority for Congress to fund in order to minimize our dependency on Russia and avoid losing our leadership in space exploration. The greatest challenge is a lack of a plan and destination for future manned missions. Without this focus, we risk losing the vision that inspires our next generation of scientists and engineers, and the innovations that come along with them. NASA needs to decide on, and the administration should fully support, a goal for human space exploration. Only then can we secure America’s dominance in space and inspire future generations.