Earlier
this year, thousands of tourists and government workers in Washington,
D.C., captured a historic moment on their camera phones when the retired
space shuttle Discovery circled over the capital on the back of a 747.
Few probably knew this camera technology came from space research. Every time we take pictures on our phones to send to friends or post on Facebook, we can thank Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Technology created at JPL made possible “cameras-on-a-chip.” They are so popular that 1 million of these are shipped every day, and almost every phone in the country uses them.
Few probably knew this camera technology came from space research. Every time we take pictures on our phones to send to friends or post on Facebook, we can thank Caltech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Technology created at JPL made possible “cameras-on-a-chip.” They are so popular that 1 million of these are shipped every day, and almost every phone in the country uses them.
JPL's
work in space exploration has led to a wide variety of products,
including in medical technologies and robotics. This has not only
improved the everyday life of Americans, it has created thousands of
jobs outside the space industry.
However, there is still more vital, cutting-edge work to be done right here in the San Gabriel Valley as we strive to improve life on Earth while exploring the planets around us. It's up to us to make sure this ground-breaking technological advancement, in space and on the ground, continues.
NASA's Mars Exploration program has the potential today to be what the Shuttle program was a generation ago. It represents the next frontier of space exploration and scientific breakthrough, and America is once again leading the way. JPL is the only place in the world that has developed the science and technology to land on another planet.
In 2004, JPL broadcast the first stunning pictures of the Martian surface from the Mars rover Spirit. This was the first glimpse of what we can achieve, but it is only the beginning. Plans are in the works to bring back soil and rock samples from the Red Planet, a fundamental step toward one day sending humans to Mars. This is not Hollywood science fiction; it's American science fact.
However, over the last few years successive administrations have whittled away at NASA's funding. This year, the Mars Next Decade mission took one of the biggest cuts in NASA's proposed budget. Imagine if we had stopped our most intrepid space exploration in its infancy. We might never have landed on the moon.
In order for the Mars mission to continue its work as one of the most successful in NASA's history, JPL needs to be properly funded. The House has passed legislation that substantially increased funding for the Mars Next Decade program. The Senate has a bill that goes even further in restoring the Mars budget, but the truth is neither proposal goes far enough, and the two chambers of Congress must come together so we don't undercut future advances.
JPL's Mars mission is not only vital for scientific discovery; it's also a key source of jobs for roughly 5,000 JPL employees and countless others in the San Gabriel Valley and Greater Los Angeles — one of the areas hardest hit by the Great Recession. JPL's highly innovative work regularly spawns spin-off technologies that translate into business opportunities, more job opportunities and economic growth.
So it is with community and country in mind that I call on the Senate to act. Senators have proposed funding for JPL, but they need to provide even more. My neighbors are counting on them to keep jobs secure and keep the capacity and knowledge built up over the years of the Mars program here.
Our country is counting on them to ensure that our global edge in science, engineering and technological innovation doesn't wane in the 21st century. And the American people are counting on them to make sure the pride we first felt as Neil Armstrong stepped out on the barren lunar landscape continues in this new era of space exploration, with another giant leap to Mars.
JUDY CHU (D-Monterey Park), is in her second term representing much of the San Gabriel Valley and is seeking election to a district that includes Pasadena.
However, there is still more vital, cutting-edge work to be done right here in the San Gabriel Valley as we strive to improve life on Earth while exploring the planets around us. It's up to us to make sure this ground-breaking technological advancement, in space and on the ground, continues.
NASA's Mars Exploration program has the potential today to be what the Shuttle program was a generation ago. It represents the next frontier of space exploration and scientific breakthrough, and America is once again leading the way. JPL is the only place in the world that has developed the science and technology to land on another planet.
In 2004, JPL broadcast the first stunning pictures of the Martian surface from the Mars rover Spirit. This was the first glimpse of what we can achieve, but it is only the beginning. Plans are in the works to bring back soil and rock samples from the Red Planet, a fundamental step toward one day sending humans to Mars. This is not Hollywood science fiction; it's American science fact.
However, over the last few years successive administrations have whittled away at NASA's funding. This year, the Mars Next Decade mission took one of the biggest cuts in NASA's proposed budget. Imagine if we had stopped our most intrepid space exploration in its infancy. We might never have landed on the moon.
In order for the Mars mission to continue its work as one of the most successful in NASA's history, JPL needs to be properly funded. The House has passed legislation that substantially increased funding for the Mars Next Decade program. The Senate has a bill that goes even further in restoring the Mars budget, but the truth is neither proposal goes far enough, and the two chambers of Congress must come together so we don't undercut future advances.
JPL's Mars mission is not only vital for scientific discovery; it's also a key source of jobs for roughly 5,000 JPL employees and countless others in the San Gabriel Valley and Greater Los Angeles — one of the areas hardest hit by the Great Recession. JPL's highly innovative work regularly spawns spin-off technologies that translate into business opportunities, more job opportunities and economic growth.
So it is with community and country in mind that I call on the Senate to act. Senators have proposed funding for JPL, but they need to provide even more. My neighbors are counting on them to keep jobs secure and keep the capacity and knowledge built up over the years of the Mars program here.
Our country is counting on them to ensure that our global edge in science, engineering and technological innovation doesn't wane in the 21st century. And the American people are counting on them to make sure the pride we first felt as Neil Armstrong stepped out on the barren lunar landscape continues in this new era of space exploration, with another giant leap to Mars.
JUDY CHU (D-Monterey Park), is in her second term representing much of the San Gabriel Valley and is seeking election to a district that includes Pasadena.
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