Clear Direction Urged for Saving NASA Jobs
Mayor Annise Parker and Huntsville, Alabama Mayor Tommy Battle have
formally asked the Obama Administration to help facilitate quick
finalization of all aspects of the Space Launch System (SLS) and the
Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). The request is included in a letter
(attached) to President Obama in which the mayors reiterate the job
losses their communities have suffered due to the end of the space
shuttle program and the cancellation of the Constellation deep space
exploration project.
“President Obama’s support for SLS and the MPCV is critical to the
stabilization of the aerospace industry and the economic recovery for
Houston and other NASA communities,” said Mayor Parker. “I ask that the
White House urge NASA Administrator Charles Bolden to move as
expeditiously as possible on all relevant contracts. Speed is imperative
to eliminate workforce uncertainty and ensure our nation's global
leadership in space and in technological advancement. We must prevent
the transfer of Johnson Space Center’s (JSC) cutting-edge brain trust to
points around the world.”
The two mayors note that a lot of components of SLS are already built
and ready to go. The next phase is completion of the rockets to go into
space. The concern is that without clear direction, NASA will use SLS
funds for purposes other than SLS, thus undermining the program before
it starts.
“In Huntsville, we have the world’s largest group of experienced
propulsion experts that can put man into deep space,” said Mayor Battle.
“When Constellation was cancelled and the shuttle program ended, we
began losing this knowledgeable workforce. While I am happy that we now
have a mission for SLS, we want to ensure that SLS funding is used for
the program, so that we won’t lose more of our talented engineers and
technicians, and we can return to space.”
Houston and Huntsville have, collectively, lost 5300 employees and
contractors in the last year.
