***** Reformattted. Please distribute. CLINTON/GORE ON AMERICA'S SPACE PROGRAM The end of the Cold War offers new opportunities and new challenges for our civilian space program. In recent years the program has lacked vision and leadership. Because the Reagan and Bush administrations have failed to establish priorities and to match program needs with available resources, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been saddled with more missions than it can successfully accomplish. Bill Clinton and Al Gore support a strong U.S. civilian space program -- for its scientific value, its economic and environmental benefits, its role in building new partnerships with other countries, and its inspiration of our nations youth. A Clinton/Gore Administration space program will seek to meet the needs of the United States and other nations while moving toward our long-term space objectives, including human exploration of the solar system. A Clinton/Gore space program will also promote the development of new technologies, create new jobs for our highly-skilled former defense workers, and increase our understanding of the planet and its delicate environmental balance. Move beyond the Cold War * Restore the historical funding equilibrium between NASA and the Defense Departments space program. The Reagan and Bush Administrations spent more on defense space initiatives than on civilian space projects. * Achieve greater cooperation in space with our traditional allies in Europe and Japan, as well as with Russia. Greater U.S.-Russian cooperation in space will benefit both countries, combining the vast knowledge and resources both countries have gathered since the launch of Sputnik in 1957. Improve the American economy through space * Direct NASA to give high priority to continued improvement of the American civil aircraft industry, which faces increasing international competition. NASA research can play an important role in developing less polluting, more fuel efficient, and quieter aircraft. * Work to improve our space industries competitiveness. Well direct NASA to develop cutting-edge rocket and satellite technologies. We will also develop a new, cost effective, and reliable launch system to maximize scientific and commercial payloads. Link NASA and the environment * Support NASA efforts -- like Mission to Planet Earth -- to improve our understanding of the global environment. * Call on NASA to develop smaller, more focused missions which address pressing environmental concerns. Strengthen NASA and education * Direct NASA to expand educational programs that improve American performance in math and science. Space education can help maintain our technological edge and improve our competitiveness. * Direct NASA to expand the outreach of its educational efforts beyond its five field centers, so that millions more people can learn about space. * Maintain the Space Shuttles integral role in our civilian space program. The Shuttle is extremely complex and will always be expensive and difficult to operate. But we must take full advantage of its unique capabilities. * Support completion of Space Station Freedom, basing its development on the twin principles of greater cooperation and burden sharing with our allies. By organizing effectively on this project, we can pave the way for future joint international ventures, both in space and on Earth. Encourage planetary exploration through the best space science * Stress efforts to learn about other planets. These improve our understanding of our own world and stimulate advances in computers, sensors, image processing and communications. * Fully utilize robotic missions to learn more about the universe. * Although we cannot yet commit major resources to human planetary exploration, this dream should be among the considerations that guide our science and engineering. Because the entire world will share the benefits of human planetary explorations, the costs for any such projects should be borne by other nations as well as the United States. The Record * Senator Al Gore chairs the Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, which has primary responsibility for NASA and plays a key role in efforts to strengthen and revitalize America's space program. * Strongly favors a balanced manned and unmanned space program. Supports completion of Space Station Freedom and enhancements to the fleet of Space Shuttles to ensure safety and reliability. * Has championed Mission to Planet Earth, an initiative designed to gather comprehensive information on the Earth's changing environment. He strongly supports efforts to channel information on the Earth's environment to teachers and school children. * Strongly supports efforts to strengthen our leadership in aviation. * Has tried to use space exploration as a bridge to international cooperation, not competition. Pushed the administration to investigate the possibilities for integrating surviving elements of the Soviet space program into the U.S. program in ways beneficial to America and its aerospace workers. * Following the Challenger disaster, Senator Gore uncovered quality assurance deficiencies at NASA, gaining a greater commitment to quality assurance and accountability at NASA.