Featured Speaker

The Honorable Mark Udall (D-CO), who serves as member of the Armed Service Committee and as the Chair of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee commended Colorado for having the second largest space economy in the nation and being home to more than 300 aerospace companies. In addition to this year marking the fiftieth anniversary of space exploration, it is also the fiftieth anniversary of the House Science and Technology Committee. The committee was formed in response to the launch of Sputnik in order to best direct U.S. science and technology efforts to benefit the nation.

Udall remarked that this is a fundamentally exciting time for space science and exploration but that NASA and the United States are running the risk of losing their preeminence in space. He is concerned about the mismatch of what NASA is being asked to do and what funding it is given. It will be important to show the next president the value of space exploration in order to get NASA the funding it really needs. Additionally, NASA needs to be a good steward of taxpayer money and carry out its programs in a cost-effective manner.

Udall noted that the NASA Authorization Act expires in 2008 and that he and the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee will work hard on the reauthorization. Beyond the civil space program, the Department of Defense is facing challenges in space acquisition. Also, there have been significant achievements in growth, though uneven, in the commercial space sector. Udall concluded by honoring the late Arthur C. Clarke, asking the audience to keep in mind his words, "the greatest expectation we can draw from space is one of hope."