Rep. John Culberson ( R - TX ) is now chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Commerce , Justice , and Science . His Houston dominion is close to the Johnson Spaceflight Center , so he ’s enthusiastic about NASA — and he ’s especially worked up about a mission to Jupiter ’s moonlight , Europa .
Scientists have long speculated that the ice covering the surface of Europa conceals a smooth body of water sea , warm by tidal strength , making it a nominee for finding extraterrestrial life . And Culberson is a strong worshiper . In an audience last December with the Houston Chronicle , hesaid :
I ’m certain that there ’s living elsewhere in the universe . And I ’m also sure that the first place we will chance upon life on another world is Europa . It will be discovered in the sea of Europa . And it will be a robotic deputation design and fly by NASA that discovers it . About an time of day and a one-half ago I make off the earphone with Robert Ballard , who discovered the Titanic . We ’ve become friends through my interest in science . He want to be remembered for something other than the find of the Titanic . So I introduced him to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and separate him he should get involved in the Europa mission . I reckon he should help plan a penetrator , bather , sniffer that would punch through the ice of Europa and determine and photograph life sentence in Europa ’s ocean . I think it ’s go to be a match made in heaven .
If I ’m successful in becoming chair of the subcommittee that ’s go to be correct when the Europa mission will need its maximal support . It needs to be a flagship military mission . The biggest and effective we ’ve ever flown . I really finger blessed . I feel like I ’m one of the luckiest citizenry on Earth . I ’m blessed with a wonderful family , a great dominion , comprise Houston in the greatest state in the heavy country in the world . I got on this unbelievable commission where I will be in exactly the right position at the right clip to be able to aid wrench NASA around , to not only preserve America ’s leadership persona in quad , but I also hope to be a central part in distinguish life on another world for the first time . We ’re only going to have one chance at this in our lifetime . We ’ve got one jibe . I want to ensure you and I are here to see those first tube dirt ball and lobsters on Europa .
And now , Culberson is the chairman of the annexation subcommittee , which gives him considerable influence over the budgets of NASA and the NSF .
As the Planetary Society ’s Director of Advocacy , Casey Dreier , noteson his blog :
NASA has a strong proponent for this mission who has the might to provide the resources it need . If NASA requests a delegation in the 2016 budget , funding would for sure follow . And with the Republican party potential to hold the House for at least the next eight years , so would a certain amount of stableness .
Of course , nothing ’s certain in political sympathies . NASA may yet decline a request for begin a Europa mission next class , or larger issues link to political standoff between the Republican congress and the Democratic White House may torpedo budget deals . But just requesting a new startle for Europa seems like an easy decision to me : it ’s bipartisan , has inviolable scientific backing , and is the kind of bold exploratory military mission that truly engages the public .
NASAPoliticsScienceSpace
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , skill , and culture newsworthiness in your inbox daily .
intelligence from the future , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
