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COLORADO SPRINGS - Industry leaders and advocates urged attendees Tuesday at the National Space Symposium to push Congress to fund initiatives in space, with one lawmaker floating the idea of raising money through space advertising.
"Not all members of Congress find space exploration awe-inspiring and an integral part of keeping our nation globally competitive. This is a severe problem, especially for human space flight," said California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, a member of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
Calvert said he planned to introduce legislation to authorize space advertising to reward revolutionary ideas for NASA. He said he would recommend creating a commission to list criteria for appropriate advertising.
"By no means do I envision bumper stickers on the Mars Rover or a blinking neon sign on the International Space Station," he said.
Though space has support in Congress, lawmakers also have to deal with conflicting budget requirements, said John Karas, of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.
"We have some good support but we also have challenges," Karas said.
NASA faces a $545 million shortfall under a resolution passed in Congress, prompting it to put a hold on robotic missions to the moon beyond projects like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter already in the works.
The priority now is the Constellation exploration program and getting the Ares 1 rocket and Orion manned lunar vehicle flying as soon as possible, said Doug Cooke, a deputy associate administrator at NASA. The plan is to have a manned Orion flight no later than 2014.
All components for both projects should be on contract by the end of the year, he said.
Orion, which Lockheed is building, would take over where the space shuttle program leaves off when it is scheduled to end in 2010.
NASA is talking with international partners on the possibility of participating on their missions to the moon, Cooke said. It has explored commercial and international cooperation on use of Ares too, but Cooke said he it was too early to disclose details.
Human flight remains a priority though, with President Bush and some members of Congress supporting another manned trip to the moon.
"It's important for human space flight that we keep the interest," Cooke said.
Even if NASA's budget were doubled, it would cost about 32 cents a day for each American, Lockheed Martin Corp. CEO Robert Stevens said.
He called space the backbone of the country's defense system. "It must not become our Achilles heel," Stevens said.
"Not all members of Congress find space exploration awe-inspiring and an integral part of keeping our nation globally competitive. This is a severe problem, especially for human space flight," said California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, a member of the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.
Calvert said he planned to introduce legislation to authorize space advertising to reward revolutionary ideas for NASA. He said he would recommend creating a commission to list criteria for appropriate advertising.
"By no means do I envision bumper stickers on the Mars Rover or a blinking neon sign on the International Space Station," he said.
Though space has support in Congress, lawmakers also have to deal with conflicting budget requirements, said John Karas, of Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.
"We have some good support but we also have challenges," Karas said.
NASA faces a $545 million shortfall under a resolution passed in Congress, prompting it to put a hold on robotic missions to the moon beyond projects like the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter already in the works.
The priority now is the Constellation exploration program and getting the Ares 1 rocket and Orion manned lunar vehicle flying as soon as possible, said Doug Cooke, a deputy associate administrator at NASA. The plan is to have a manned Orion flight no later than 2014.
All components for both projects should be on contract by the end of the year, he said.
Orion, which Lockheed is building, would take over where the space shuttle program leaves off when it is scheduled to end in 2010.
NASA is talking with international partners on the possibility of participating on their missions to the moon, Cooke said. It has explored commercial and international cooperation on use of Ares too, but Cooke said he it was too early to disclose details.
Human flight remains a priority though, with President Bush and some members of Congress supporting another manned trip to the moon.
"It's important for human space flight that we keep the interest," Cooke said.
Even if NASA's budget were doubled, it would cost about 32 cents a day for each American, Lockheed Martin Corp. CEO Robert Stevens said.
He called space the backbone of the country's defense system. "It must not become our Achilles heel," Stevens said.
