The Pasadena Kiwanis Club 32nd Annual Mayors Prayer Breakfast on Thursday (April 2) featured Congressman Brian Babin as the keynote speaker. Babin represents Texas District 36, which includes Pasadena as well as the Clear Lake area and Johnson Space Center. He is a member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

My focus as member of the House Science Committee is to return human space flight as NASAs top priority. NASAs attention has been diverted toward a host of other competing priorities over the last several years. I think it is long past due that we return NASAs focus to what their mission was originally and that was human space flight and exploration.

Ending NASAs reliance on other countries to send astronauts to the International Space Station should also be a top priority, Babin said.

The only way we have of getting our astronauts to our space station is through the Russians. They have to be launched in a Russian Soyuz capsule from Russian soil. We have an obligation and a duty to make sure American astronauts are launched from American rockets from American soil and to do this as soon as possible, he said. We must provide NASA with the resources to return to flight and we must never put America in this position ever again.

The American space program offers numerous benefits such as its contributions to science, the economy and serves to inspire younger generations to learn about science and space, Babin said.

Not only has (the American space program) given us a healthy pride in America, but it has given us the motivation to explore the sciences, study harder in school for our kids and to think about doing what is considered impossible, he said.

As a Christian who believes that God is the author of the universe, what we saw over the past two decades through the lens of the Hubble Space Telescope is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The Hubble lifted the blinders even more and gave us a glimpse of our vast universe, he said.

Babin also commented on the impact of the nations investment in the space program on future generations.

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson pointed out our investment in space is the only investment this generation makes that will benefit the next. While this may be a bit of an overstatement, it is true that our investment is space is mostly about the next generation.

Many of us may not live to see Americans landing on Mars. But, future generations will do so because of what we invest in our space program today, he said. I believe our investment in space is really a part of our fight for freedom because these investments are not only of scientific value, they also provide us with the military high ground. Throughout the history of mankind whoever controls the high ground has won the battlefields.

Originally posted here:

Babin: Human space flight should be NASAs top priority