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| Volume 30 Number 1 |
September / October 2004 |
Additional Resources for 2004 Aerospace Election Issues
By Sophia Bright, Chair
As we get closer to election day we find ourselves in the position of
picking a candidate that will address the issues we that are important
to us. The Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) compiled a list of
seven key public policy issues and asked both presidential candidates to
weigh in on those issues:
- Develop a U.S. Leadership Plan to Improve the Capability of
the Global Aviation System
- Commit the U.S. Government to Fundamental Reform of the U.S.
Export Licensing Process
- Promote Increase in U.S. Intelligence Capability
- Improve U.S. Aerospace and Defense Industrial Cooperation with
America's Allies
- Develop a Federal Plan for Revitalizing the U.S. Aerospace
Workforce and Sustaining Manufacturing Jobs
- Commit to Replacing the Space Shuttle with a Modern
Human-rated Space Transportation System
- Increase Federal Funding for Aerospace R&D
The presidential candidates' positions on the Space Shuttle were as follows:
Kerry/Edwards — "NASA is an invaluable asset to the American people
and must receive adequate resources to continue its important mission of
exploration... The most critical element of our space program should be
reducing the costs and increasing the reliability of space
transportation to and from low earth orbit... The civil space program acts
as an engine for innovation for the entire country, making its enormous
benefits hard to quantify but even harder to discount." (Space.com:
Kerry Criticizes Bush for Space Vision June 16, 2004)
Bush/Cheney — "Our first goal is to complete the International Space
Station by 2010... In 2010, the Space Shuttle — after nearly 30 years of
duty — will be retired from service. Our second goal is to develop and
test a new spacecraft, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, by 2008, and to
conduct the first manned mission no later than 2014... Our third goal is to
return to the moon by 2020, as the launching point for missions beyond."
(President's remarks at NASA Headquarters, January 14, 2004)
Positions on each of these issues can be found at
www.aia-aerospace.org/aianews/2k4election.
Other sources of information regarding public policy and legislative
action can be found at
AIAA's Public Policy
page.
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