Congressman Steven Palazzo gets second term as Subcommittee Chairman of Space and Aeronautics

PALAZZO SELECTED FOR SECOND TERM AS SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS

Gulfport, MS – The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology announced earlier this week Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-04) has been selected to serve as Chairman of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee for a second term in the 113th Congress.

Science, Space and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (TX-21) stated, “All of the work begins in the Subcommittees. I look forward to joining Subcommittee Chairman Palazzo to advance policies to support our nation’s space program, expand scientific education, fund basic research, and enhance the development of new technologies.”

“We are at a critical point in our nation’s spaceflight history,” Palazzo stated. “I am honored to continue my work as Chairman of this Subcommittee on matters that are just as important to South Mississippi’s own John C. Stennis Space Center as they are the future of U.S. spaceflight. With all the challenges facing NASA and our commercial industry, we must remain focused on the goals ahead: strengthening the partnerships that enable low-Earth orbit missions and reliable access to the International Space Station, launching from U.S. soil, and identifying missions for NASA, including a return to the moon and ultimately Mars. My number one priority is maintaining America’s leadership in space.“

Fred Haise, Biloxi, Miss. native, former astronaut, and founding member of NASA’s INFINITY at John C. Stennis Space Center stated: “South Mississippi and NASA’s Stennis Space Center are fortunate to have the Space & Aeronautics Subcommittee chairman right in our own back yard. I congratulate Congressman Palazzo on continuing a proud tradition that ensures the path to space leads through Mississippi.”

In his first term as Chairman, Palazzo played an active role in the FAA Reauthorization bill that passed Congress in February 2012. One of the last measures passed by the 112th Congress was Palazzo’s own space legislation that provided guidance to NASA while at the same time supporting the commercial space industry’s competitiveness in a global market. Among other issues falling under the Subcommittee’s jurisdiction, Congress is set to work on a bill reauthorizing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 2013.