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 (PSI) Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords talks with scientists and staff members during her visit to the Tucson-based Planetary Science Institute.
Congresswoman Giffords Emphasizes Importance of Space Research
JULY 01, 2009Planetary Science Institute Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords toured the Planetary Science Institute's headquarters in Tucson on June 1 to learn more about the institute's research and outreach activities. Giffords, who chairs the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics of the House Committee on Science and Technology, emphasized the importance of adequate funding for space research and praised PSI for providing high-tech jobs in her Arizona Congressional District. Giffords also said America's space program is vital to the country because access to space near Earth has important national-security implications. During a presentation given for Giffords, PSI Director Mark Sykes explained that understanding other planets helps us better understand Earth and has already led to a deeper understanding of the effect humans have on Earth's atmospheric processes. He also said that the long-term dominance of the United States in space will depend on whether it is the first to address the possibility of openly expanding human activity in space. Sykes noted that PSI participates on the science and instrument teams of a number missions sponsored by NASA and other agencies. These include: Mercury MESSENGER, Dawn, Cassini, Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Exploration Rovers, Mars Express (European Space Agency), Hayabusa (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency), NEO Surveillance and Tracking (Canadian Space Agency) and Chandrayaan-1 (Indian Space Research Organization). He added that PSI has 123 currently funded NASA projects. See more photos from Giffords' visit: www.psi.edu/press/House Committee on Science and Technology: http://science.house.gov/
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