textfiles-politics/politicalTextFiles/space.txt

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      CLINTON/GORE ON AMERICA'S SPACE PROGRAM



The end of the Cold War offers new opportunities
and new challenges for our civilian space program.
In recent years the program has lacked vision and
leadership.  Because the Reagan and Bush
administrations have failed to establish priorities
and to match program needs with available
resources, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) has been saddled with more
missions than it can successfully accomplish.

Bill Clinton and Al Gore support a strong U.S.
civilian space program -- for its scientific value,
its economic and environmental benefits, its role
in building new partnerships with other countries,
and its inspiration of our nations youth.  A
Clinton/Gore Administration space program will seek
to meet the needs of the United States and other
nations while moving toward our long-term space
objectives, including human exploration of the
solar system.  A Clinton/Gore space program will
also promote the development of new technologies,
create new jobs for our highly-skilled former
defense workers, and increase our understanding of
the planet and its delicate environmental balance.

Move beyond the Cold War

*    Restore the historical funding equilibrium
     between NASA and the Defense Departments space
     program. The Reagan and Bush Administrations
     spent more on defense space initiatives than
     on civilian space projects.

*    Achieve greater cooperation in space with our
     traditional allies in Europe and Japan, as
     well as with Russia.  Greater U.S.-Russian
     cooperation in space will benefit both
     countries, combining the vast knowledge and
     resources both countries have gathered since
     the launch of Sputnik in 1957.

Improve the American economy through space

*    Direct NASA to give high priority to continued
     improvement of the American civil aircraft
     industry, which faces increasing international
     competition.  NASA research can play an
     important role in developing less polluting,
     more fuel efficient, and quieter aircraft.

*    Work to improve our space industries
     competitiveness.  Well direct NASA to develop
     cutting-edge rocket and satellite
     technologies.  We will also develop a new,
     cost effective, and reliable launch system to
     maximize scientific and commercial payloads.

Link NASA and the environment

*    Support NASA efforts -- like Mission to Planet
     Earth -- to improve our understanding of the
     global environment.

*    Call on NASA to develop smaller, more focused
     missions which address pressing environmental
     concerns.

Strengthen NASA and education

*    Direct NASA to expand educational programs
     that improve American performance in math and
     science. Space education can help maintain our
     technological edge and improve our
     competitiveness.

*    Direct NASA to expand the outreach of its
     educational efforts beyond its five field
     centers, so that millions more people can
     learn about space.

*    Maintain the Space Shuttles integral role in
     our civilian space program.  The Shuttle is
     extremely complex and will always be expensive
     and difficult to operate.  But we must take
     full advantage of its unique capabilities.

*    Support completion of  Space Station Freedom,
     basing its development on the twin principles
     of greater cooperation and burden sharing with
     our allies. By organizing effectively on this
     project, we can pave the way for future joint
     international ventures, both in space and on
     Earth.

Encourage planetary exploration through the best
space science

*    Stress efforts to learn about other planets.
     These improve our understanding of our own
     world and stimulate advances in computers,
     sensors, image processing and communications.

*    Fully utilize robotic missions to learn more
     about the universe.

*    Although we cannot yet commit major resources
     to human planetary exploration, this dream
     should be among the considerations that guide
     our science and engineering.  Because the
     entire world will share the benefits of human
     planetary explorations, the costs for any such
     projects should be borne by other nations as
     well as the United States.

The Record

*    Senator Al Gore chairs the Senate Subcommittee
     on Science, Technology, and Space, which has
     primary responsibility for NASA and plays a
     key role in efforts to strengthen and
     revitalize America's space program.

*    Strongly favors a balanced manned and unmanned
     space program. Supports completion of Space
     Station Freedom and enhancements to the fleet
     of Space Shuttles to ensure safety and
     reliability.

*    Has championed Mission to Planet Earth, an
     initiative designed to gather comprehensive
     information on the Earth's changing
     environment. He strongly supports  efforts to
     channel information on the Earth's environment
     to teachers and school children.

*    Strongly supports efforts to strengthen our
     leadership in aviation.

*    Has tried to use space exploration as a bridge
     to international cooperation, not competition.
     Pushed the administration to investigate the
     possibilities for integrating surviving
     elements of the Soviet space program into the
     U.S. program in ways beneficial to America and
     its aerospace workers.

*    Following the Challenger disaster, Senator
     Gore uncovered quality assurance deficiencies
     at NASA, gaining a greater commitment to
     quality assurance and accountability at NASA.