Most members of the Texas delegation to the U.S. Congress are putting a full-court press on President Barack Obama to push for increased funding of NASA by requesting $3 billion of federal stimulus funds for the space agency.

The bi-partisan effort was coordinated by Rep. Pete Olson, R-Sugar Land, whose 22nd Congressional District includes the Johnson Space Center as well as parts of Galveston County.

“Allocating an additional $3 billion in unspent stimulus funds would not only ensure America's global role in the aerospace industry and human space flight, but it would also help retain thousands of existing jobs within the aerospace industry, a key goal of the stimulus spending,” Olson said in a press release.

U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison joined Olson and Galveston County’s other Congressman Ron Paul in signing the letter.

The request to Obama was a bipartisan effort. Also signing the letter were Democrats Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Gene Green and Al Green.

Olson spokeswoman Melissa Kelly said 26 of the state’s 28-member delegation signed the letter.

“Boldness does not come cheaply, and in a venture that is inherently risky, we have an obligation to provide the adequate resources to make these worthy goals safe, attainable, and sustainable over time,” the letter reads. “As you know, a robust space program that enables us to explore new frontiers is critical to maintain both America's proud tradition of exploration and its leadership in space.”

The request comes a few weeks after the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee; dubbed the Augustine Commission after committee chairman Norman Augustine, found that the current funding for NASA was inadequate to pursue manned missions to the moon and eventually Mars.

The letter received immediate support from the head of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, a business group that represents most of the NASA contractors in the Houston-Galveston region.

“If the U.S. wants to continue to lead the world in space exploration, then substantially more funding is required,” Bob Mitchell said. “NASA has for years accomplished so much with so little funding, and finally, after the release of the Augustine Report, it’s now officially recognized.”

The text of the letter is below.

October 5, 2009

The Honorable Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

We write to you regarding the summary report recently issued by your Administration’s U.S. Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee. As you know, that Committee’s goal was to evaluate all available options to support a vigorous path of human space exploration, returning to the Moon, and eventually going on to Mars. These are national goals that the Congress has supported in NASA authorization legislation passed overwhelmingly in both 2005 and 2008.

The Committee found that the U.S. human spaceflight program, as currently configured and budgeted, cannot meet the goals of supporting meaningful human exploration beyond low-earth orbit and that additional funding is necessary for NASA to conduct a viable exploration program. Specifically, the Committee found that it is possible for NASA to carry out a feasible exploration program only if its budget is increased, at the minimum, by $3 billion annually above the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 budget request. Boldness does not come cheaply, and in a venture that is inherently risky, we have an obligation to provide the adequate resources to make these worthy goals safe, attainable, and sustainable over time.

As you know, a robust space program that enables us to explore new frontiers is critical to maintain both America's proud tradition of exploration and its leadership in space. Equally important, in these times of economic uncertainty, human space flight can, as history has proven, spur the development of technologies that enhance our national and economic security, maintain our global competitiveness, and inspire generations of students to enter the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, where we are today being challenged--and in some cases out-paced--by other nations.

America is still the global leader in aerospace, but a lack of funding and commitment to human space flight would deal a critical blow to that industry that could set its progress back by decades and would cost thousands of jobs, not just in Texas, but across the country. Your leadership in identifying a strong path forward in human space flight, based on the findings and options presented by the Review Committee, will help guarantee NASA has the adequate support and resources to maintain American leadership in human space exploration.

We agree with the Committee’s statement that such an exploration program will be a source of pride for the nation, and we believe that it will continue to be for Texas as well. Regardless of the specific details of the plan for implementing a vigorous and effective exploration program, the Review Committee has made it clear that additional funds are essential, and that time is of the essence in moving forward with whatever program on which you and Congress can reach consensus. As you know, the Committee's report comes very late in the budgetary process for FY 2010. Any path forward will require additional funding not currently within the allocation of NASA's appropriations committees.

Therefore, to ensure the U.S. maintains its leadership in human space exploration, we respectfully ask that you include in your promised amended budget request for NASA's Exploration Systems a request to Congress to reallocate the necessary funds for NASA from the funds that we anticipate will remain available from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). As of last month, less than 15 percent of ARRA funds had been expended.

Since the stated purpose of the stimulus package was to secure good jobs and stabilize our economy, there is no better investment that could be made than the addition of up to $3 billion to NASA in FY2010, and the projection of at least that level of increase, as recommended by your Committee, at a 2.4% rate of inflation in the out-year projections included in the initial FY2010 Request. The NASA civil servant and contractor workforce is comprised of highly skilled and dedicated individuals performing the kinds of work and developing the industrial base that we as a nation must have in today's global competitive economic environment.

Thank you for your attention on this matter.

Letter signed by Sens. Cornyn and Hutchison, and U.S. Reps. Barton, Brady, Burgess, Carter, Conaway, Culberson, Edwards, Gohmert, Gonzalez, Granger, Al Green, Gene Green, Hall, Hinojosa, Jackson Lee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Sam Johnson, Marchant, McCaul, Nuegebauer, Olson, Paul, Poe, Sessions, Smith, Thornberry.