Chairman Hutchison Applauds NASA Return to Flight – Will attend July 13 shuttle launch in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

WASHINGTON – Following NASA’s announcement today that July 13 has been approved as the Return to Flight launch date for Shuttle Discovery, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science and Space, applauded the announcement and said she will attend the launch. 

“I am pleased NASA has approved a return to flight date and I look forward to attending the launch that will mark an important milestone in space exploration for the United States,” Chairman Hutchison said. “It took a great deal of hard work and dedication by NASA to get us safely back in flight and leading the world in exploration.

“Our experienced NASA team has conducted a thorough review to reduce risk and ensure improvements have been made after the tragic lessons we learned through the loss of Shuttle Columbia,” Chairman Hutchison continued. “Space flight has inherent risks but I have the utmost confidence in Administrator Griffin and our NASA team. I am proud we will soon mark this historic return to flight and look forward to the knowledge we will gain from a successful mission.”