“Take Back Your Space Program!” Will Fight For Reforms on Capitol Hill

The Space Frontier Foundation today praised the White House’s decision to cancel NASA’s failed Ares rocket programs and instead invest in private enterprise systems “inspirational” and “a giant leap in the right direction.”

“The reforms announced yesterday fix some of the worst errors of the Bush Vision of Space Exploration,” said Foundation chairman Bob Werb. “More than that, they make NASA exciting and relevant again. Canceling the expensive, ill-fated Ares 1 rocket opens the door for private enterprise to create a safe, reliable and low-cost commercial spaceflight industry, with government as a customer and partner instead of a competitor.”

The Space Frontier Foundation has been fighting to kill Ares I for years. We predicted this disaster in 2006 , put out press releases, op-eds and worked with our many friends inside NASA, Congress, and both large and small NewSpace companies.

“Our Mind the Space Gap campaign emphasized that Ares was a boondoggle that guaranteed sending more taxpayer money to Russia to pay for Astronaut visits to a space station we mostly paid for,” continued Werb. “Now the NewSpace industry must step up and fill the Gap, creating jobs and innovation here in America.”

“Finally, America’s space agency is starting to behave like it belongs in a capitalist country,” Werb added. “Charlie Bolden and Lori Garver are showing faith in free enterprise and we will not disappoint them.”

The Space Frontier Foundation recently announced “Take Back Your Space Program!,” a year-long campaign in which citizens will visit their representatives in Congress to advocate for policies that help open the space frontier.

“Since Congress recently attempted to tie President Obama’s hands and prevent him from changing Bush’s Moon program in any way, it’s essential that the American people urge legislators to support these reforms and stop any further waste of money on Ares ASAP,” said project manager Mike Heney. “This turkey is never going to fly and we should stop throwing good money after bad.”

“Take Back Your Space Program” begins with First Flight, scheduled for the week of February 7-12, 2010.

Citizens who want to help open the space frontier are invited to join the group for First Flight. All volunteers must be US citizens 18 years or older. Volunteers must commit to attend a training on Sunday, Feb. 7 and participate in at least two Congressional office visits during the week. For more information and registration, visit the Take Back Your Space Program website.