Space Advocacy Organization Endorses Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords for Reelection in Arizona House District 8

Austin, TX — The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration, a political organization that supports federal candidates who champion a strong American space program, has endorsed Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords for reelection in Arizona House District 8.

“Throughout her first term in office, Congresswoman Giffords has proven to be a strong supporter of America’s space program,” said Jeff Brooks, Director of the Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration. “She has worked with members of Congress from both parties to increase NASA’s budget and has made a name for herself as one of the space program’s greatest champions in Washington.”

Congresswoman Giffords has a personal connection to the space program. Her husband, Mark Kelly, is a NASA astronaut who commanded the Space Shuttle Discovery on its most recent mission to the International Space Station.

“Congresswoman Giffords’ enthusiasm for the space program is infectious,” added Brooks. “She not only is a strong voice for a sound American space policy, but she has taken it upon herself to help organize receptions and briefings in Washington on everything from the Mars Phoenix lander to the impact of light pollution on observational astronomy. She has brought other members of Congress down to Cape Canaveral to watch Shuttle launches. The personal interest she takes in these issues is amazing.”

Congresswoman Giffords has taken a leadership role in addressing the coming gap in American manned spaceflight capabilities. Between the 2010 retirement of the Space Shuttle and the first flight of the Orion spacecraft, scheduled for 2015, the United States will lack the ability to launch astronauts into space. During this time, the country will have to depend on Russian goodwill for access to the International Space Station. Congresswoman Giffords co-signed a letter to the House leadership calling for an additional $2 billion to be injected into NASA’s budget in order to accelerate the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Ares rocket. Such a policy could reduce the time gap between the last flight of the Shuttle and the first flight of Orion from five years to three years.

As a member of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Congresswoman Giffords has supported the NASA Authorization Act of 2008, legislation that will empower the space agency to press on with the program of returning astronauts to the Moon. The House overwhelmingly passed this legislation on June 18, 2008.

Giffords’ Republican opponent, Tim Bee, has expressed no particular interest in space exploration and did not respond to the Committee’s requests for information.

“The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration wholeheartedly endorses Congresswoman Giffords,” said Brooks. “Anyone in the district who cares about the space program should cast their ballots for Gabrielle Giffords on November 4.”

The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration (www.committee4spaceadvocacy.org) is currently the only political action committee focused exclusively on supporting a strong American space program and it is the only space advocacy organi! zation that actively supports pro-space candidates in federal elections.

Click here to visit The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration’s website