Congressional Resolutions on Hubble Space Telescope

Robert Gent, President of the Astronomical League, made the following
announcement this morning. I am passing it on for your information.

Ed Flaspoehler

Memorandum for Council and Committees
Astronomical League

We received the following message from the American Astronomical Society. The
Executive Committee of the Astronomical League agrees with the AAS on the
importance of saving the HST. Please feel free to do whatever you can to let
your voices be known. Share this message with all member societies and
newsletter editors.

Thank you and best wishes,

Robert L. Gent
President, Astronomical League
151 Somervelle Street
Alexandria, VA 22304-7731
USA
1-703-566-0971 (8 am to 5 pm M-F, EST)
www.astroleague.org
A nonprofit, educational federation of
nearly 300 astronomical societies


FORWARDED MESSAGE:
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AAS Informational Email 2004-06: Update on Congressional
Resolutions related to HST-SM4 Cancellation

Sidney Wolff, Chair, Committee on Astronomy and Public
Policy and Kevin Marvel, Deputy Executive Officer

Summary

A Resolution (S. Res. 324) has been introduced into the
Senate Expressing the sense of the Senate on the
cancellation of Hubble Servicing Mission 4 (SM-4).

Background

On March 3, 2004 H. Res. 550 was introduced by
Representative Mark Udall (D-CO) expressing the sense of
the house on the cancellation of the HST servicing mission
4. Within the bill, which is a non-binding piece of
legislation, is a call for an independent review of the
decision by NASA administrator O'Keefe to not undertake
an SM4. There are now 42 co-sponsors on this bill, many due
to phone calls, FAXES or letters from AAS members.

Strong bi-partisan support of such measures, even though
they are non-binding, can significantly influence public
policy.

Information

A similar bill was introduced into the Senate by senator
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) on March 25, 2004. Currently the
bill is only co-sponsored by senator Sam Brownback (R-KS).

AAS members are encouraged to contact their senator and
request that they co-sponsor this resolution and also thank
their representative for co-sponsoring H.Res. 324.

Members may identify their member of congress or senator by
using the Zip-To-It feature on the AAS web site:
http://www.aas.org/policy/aas.bios.html

Supplementary Information

S.Res. 324 is appended in its entirety.

Expressing the sense of the Senate relating to the
extraordinary contributions resulting from the Hubble
Space Telescope to scientific research and education, and
to the need to reconsider... (Introduced in Senate)

SRES 324 IS

108th CONGRESS
2d Session

S. RES. 324

Expressing the sense of the Senate relating to the
extraordinary contributions resulting from the Hubble Space
Telescope to scientific research and education, and to the
need to reconsider future service missions to the Hubble
Space Telescope.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 25, 2004

Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself and Mr. BROWNBACK) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate relating to the
extraordinary contributions resulting from the Hubble Space
Telescope to scientific research and education, and to the
need to reconsider future service missions to the Hubble
Space Telescope.

Whereas discoveries from the Hubble Space Telescope have
dominated space science news over the last 10 years;

Whereas the Hubble Space Telescope has provided proof of
black holes, insights into the birth and death of stars,
spectacular views of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9's collision
with Jupiter, the age of the Universe, and evidence that
the expansion of the Universe is accelerating;

Whereas the inspiring scientific discoveries from the
Hubble Space Telescope reach millions of students each year
and have been important in encouraging students to study
the sciences;

Whereas the inspiring scientific discoveries from the
Hubble Space Telescope reach millions of students each year
and have been important in encouraging students to study
the sciences;

Whereas the 2000 National Academy of Sciences Decadal
Survey endorsed a plan to maintain the Hubble Space
Telescope until 2010;

Whereas the Hubble Space Telescope has been the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration's most scientifically
productive mission, accounting for 35 percent of all
National Aeronautics and Space Administration discoveries
in the last 20 years;

Whereas the demand for research time on the Hubble Space
Telescope in 2003 was approximately 8 times that available;

Whereas approximately $200,000,000 worth of instruments
have largely been built, including scientific instruments
that would provide significant improvements in Hubble's
scientific power and including replacement gyroscopes and
batteries, which could keep the telescope in operation
until 2011 or 2012 and make the Hubble Space Telescope's
final years its most scientifically capable and productive;

Whereas the distinguished panel that studied scientific
priorities for ultraviolet and optical astronomy in 2003
considered the continued operation of the Hubble Space
Telescope by means of the SM-4 servicing mission to be its
highest priority; and

Whereas the American Astronomical Society, the largest
professional scientific association for astronomers and
astrophysicists, believes a panel of experts should review
the decision to limit prematurely the lifespan of the
Hubble Space Telescope: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) recognizes the extraordinary contributions resulting
from the Hubble Space Telescope to scientific research and
education;

(2) strongly recommends that the Administrator of the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration appoint an
independent panel of expert scientists and engineers inside
and outside of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration to examine all possible options for safely
carrying out the planned servicing mission to the Hubble
Space Telescope and assess alternative servicing methods;
and

(3) expresses its strong sentiment that the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration should continue all
planning, preparation, and astronaut training activities
for the SM-4 servicing mission without interruption until
the expert panel issues its report and until the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration provides a timetable
of compliance with recommendation R6.4-1 of the Columbia
Accident Investigation Board report, which calls for `a
fully autonomous capability for all missions to address
the possibility that an International Space Station mission
fails to achieve the correct orbit, fails to dock
successfully, or is damaged during or after undocking',
since National Aeronautics and Space Administration
compliance with the recommendation will allow both a Hubble
servicing mission and missions to the International Space
Station to be carried out safely.
__________________________________________________ __________

[Mailed to US members from aas.org at 4:15pm, 31 MARCH 2004]