Increasing the Research Capacity of the Space Station – U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson

Our nation is in the midst of building the largest engineering accomplishment of all time. We are building a Space Station: a multi-national effort, that by the time it is completed will weigh about a million pounds, have an acre of solar panels, measure the length of a football field, have a pressurized volume equal to two jumbo jets, and orbit at 220 nautical miles above the Earth.

The International Space Station, or “ISS,” is the largest scientific cooperative program in history, drawing on the resources and scientific expertise of our own nation along side fifteen other countries.

This project is an exciting gateway to new frontiers in human space exploration, meeting the deep-seated need of humans throughout history to explore the unknown, to understand their world and the universe, and to apply that knowledge for the benefit of all here on Earth.

The ISS will sustain U.S. leadership in exploration and use of outer space that has inspired a generation of Americans and people throughout the world. At the same time, the ISS will provide a stunning opportunity to enhance U.S. economic competitiveness; creating new commercial enterprises, while serving as a virtual classroom in space to advance scientific education for teachers and students alike.

Most importantly, the ISS will be a unique world-class laboratory providing an international platform for advances in science and technology.

In this laboratory of the heavens, we will conduct research in tissue growth, looking at the causes of cancers and potential medical treatments.

Our nation’s biochemists will investigate new drugs, and develop a whole new understanding of the building blocks of life.

Using the microgravity environment of space, our industries will develop new advanced materials that may lead to stronger, lighter metals and more powerful computer chips.

The Station will also house experiments in combustion science, that could lead to reduced emissions from power plants and automobiles, saving consumers billions of dollars.

But that is only if we complete the Space Station.

Yes – last year we found out that this international program had real cost overruns and management problems. But, there is no question that we have to complete this project: It is an investment in the future – the legacy we will leave to our children’s children. Why else are we building it than to make a difference on their lives?

However, this Administration chose to fund some of the ISS cost overruns without adding more money to NASA’s budget, requiring cuts to many other critical programs.

And, instead of funding the space station sufficiently to fulfill its potential, the Administration proposed curtailing the Space Station program to skeletal configuration, called “Core Complete.” Instead of maintaining a full-time crew of six or seven astronauts onboard the Station at all times, Core Complete would provide for only three crewmembers.

When one considers that it takes more than two people to tend to the care and feeding of the Station, that leaves less than one person to conduct research onboard.

I was afraid these cuts would endanger the future of the ISS. And, a report released just about a month ago concludes that this is exactly what has happened: the future of the Station itself is now in jeopardy.

In March, the Administration charged an independent task force, made up of Nobel laureates and world-class scientists and engineers, to review, assess and help define NASA’s biological and physical research priorities.

Just over a month ago, this group—known as the Research Maximization and Prioritization Task Force, or “ReMaP”—completed their review of the Space Station’s science programs. The results were not good.

This distinguished group concluded that the Core Complete configuration and Shuttle flight rate mandated by this Administration would severely restrict the Station’s research productivity—a finding confirmed by NASA’s own analyses.

A year and a half has now passed since this Bush Administration destroyed the Space Station’s research budget, by cutting the crew size from seven to three, and eliminating the U.S. crew rescue vehicle and the crew’s living space known as the ‘habitation module.’

In addition, the ReMaP study concluded that if enhancements beyond Core Complete are not anticipated, NASA should “cease to characterize the Space Station as a science driven program.”

Listen to this conclusion: we should “cease to characterize the Space Station as a science driven program.”

What happened to the world-class laboratory? Where is our international science and technology platform? What about tissue growth research, and curing cancer, and other innovative medical treatments?

What about new drugs, and the building blocks of life? How are we going to develop advanced materials and more powerful computer chips? What happened to environmental research in combustion science, and reducing our emissions and energy use?

With only a skeletal Space Station, gone are these and many, many other potential discoveries that we have been waiting for.

NASA has a proven track record in supporting scientific research that makes a difference here on earth:

A laminar airflow technique—used in NASA clean rooms for contamination-free assembly of space equipment—is now being used at tollbooths on bridges and turnpikes to decrease the toll collector’s inhalation of exhaust fumes.

An advanced ultrasound skin damage assessment instrument—using NASA ultrasound technology—enables immediate assessment of burn damage depth, improving patient treatment, and may save lives in serious burn cases.

A remotely operated, emergency response robot—first developed by NASA—reduces human injury levels by performing hazardous tasks that would otherwise be handled by humans.

A custom-made suit—derived from space suits—circulates coolant through tubes to lower a patient’s body temperature, producing dramatic improvement of symptoms of multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and other conditions.

A self-righting life raft—originally developed for the Apollo program—fully inflates in 12 seconds and protects lives during extremely adverse weather conditions with self-righting and gravity compensation features.

A new digital imaging breast biopsy system images breast tissue more clearly and efficiently. This non-surgical system—utilizing technology originally developed by NASA for the Hubble Space Telescope—is less traumatic and greatly reduces the pain, scarring, radiation exposure, time, and money associated with surgical biopsies.

A flywheel energy storage system—derived from two NASA-sponsored energy storage studies—is a chemical-free, mechanical battery that harnesses the energy of a rapidly spinning wheel and stores it as electricity with 50 times the capacity of a lead-acid battery. This system is especially useful in electric vehicles.

And these are just a few examples.

But, the Administration’s plan for the station simply taunts the research community, telling them that an orbiting laboratory is there, but fails to provide them with a real and significant opportunity to use it.

The tag line NASA uses for the International Space Station program says: “It’s about life on Earth.” But is there going to be life in space?

Core Complete falls so short of expectations that our nation’s leading scientists refuse to call it a science program.

Under the Administration’s plan, our ever-shrinking Space Station will waste both time and money over the long run, while failing to realize the unique potential of this international research facility.

This Administration needs to stop pretending that Core Complete is a viable or a desirable goal for our country or our space-faring international partners. It is neither.

Core Complete is the minimum configuration needed for the U.S. to say that it has completed a space station. But that’s just it: it’s the minimum.

We can fix this by returning to the original plan. Let’s go back to building a fully capable research laboratory. Go back to a crew size capable of maintaining the station and conducting a robust research agenda. Realize the full potential of this laboratory of the heavens.

We must realize the Station’s full potential. Let’s expand crew size and broaden our research capabilities on board. Let’s develop a crew rescue vehicle.

And: Recommit to furthering humankind’s understanding of the building blocks of life. Recommit to developing advanced materials, reducing fuel emissions, and finding a cure for cancer.

So, I say to this Administration: Recommit this nation to building a fully capable International Space Station. We have delayed long enough.