Space Access Political Action Alert 10/6/99 
____________________________________________________________________ 

     HUD/VA Conference Finally Happens Thursday 10/7 1:30 PM EDT 
          Extra Money May Be Available for NASA Future-X -
           Fax or Call The Conferees By Thursday Noon EDT! 


Summary:

"Please add $50 million to NASA Future-X for low-cost reusable 
rocket flight demonstrators, as described in the House NASA 
Authorization."  If you are from one of the below listed Senators' 
states or Representative's districts, call or fax with this message 
by Thursday noon east coast time.  (If you're not from one of those 
places, contact the Senate and House Subcommittee chairmen, Bond and 
Walsh.)  Get their DC office voice or fax numbers (and if necessary 
check for who your Representative is) from www.vote-smart.org. 

Background: 

The deadline for finishing Appropriations bills, September 30th (the 
end of the federal 1999 fiscal year) has been pushed back three 
weeks by a "continuing resolution" that funds the government until 
October 21st.  The deadlocks that delayed various funding bills are 
now being resolved - the Defense Appropriations Conference 
reconvened today after a dispute over F-22 production funding was 
resolved, and we are cautiously optimistic about getting money for 
USAF "Space Maneuver Vehicle", a reusable upper stage project that 
we support, when the dust settles. 

Meanwhile, the HUD/VA & Independent Agencies (NASA) Appropriations 
conference will finally meet tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 pm EDT.  

The House has already instructed its conferees to support the 
Senate's full funding of NASA's Science, Aeronautics, and Technology 
account (where Future-X lives) - there is no danger of overall cuts 
here.  The Senate supports more money for advanced space launch 
work, but it currently would do so by removing money from space 
science, something we'd prefer not to see happen - the sort of space 
science programs most likely to be axed tend to be those most likely 
to contract outside NASA for launches, and also those that exemplify 
the "better faster cheaper" approach. 

We'd vastly prefer that NASA's Science Aeronautics & Technology 
account get $50 million added, to get a series of Future-X low-cost 
reusable-rocket flight operations demonstrator projects underway 
this year.  Tomorrow morning is likely our last chance to influence 
Congress on this matter this year.  Absent, of course, a 
Presidential veto of the bill, something we see as increasingly 
unlikely.  Please, go for it, one more time. 

Senate HUD/VA Appropriators 

 Christopher S. Bond, Chairman, Missouri 
 Ted Stevens, Alaska 
 Conrad Burns, Montana 
 Richard C. Shelby, Alabama 
 Larry Craig, Idaho 
 Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas 
 Jon Kyl, Arizona 
 Barbara Mikulski, Ranking Member, Maryland 
 Patrick Leahy, Vermont 
 Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey 
 Tom Harkin, Iowa 
 Robert Byrd, West Virginia 

House of Representatives HUD/VA Appropriators 

 James T. Walsh, N.Y., Chairman 
 C.W.Bill Young, Fla. 
 Alan B. Mollohan, W.V. 
 Tom DeLay, Texas 
 Marcy Kaptur, Ohio 
 David L. Hobson, Ohio 
 Carrie P. Meek, Fla. 
 Joe Knollenberg, Mich. 
 David E. Price, N.C. 
 Rodney P. Frelinghuysen, N.J. 
 Robert E. (Bud) Cramer, Jr., Ala. 
 Roger F. Wicker, Miss. 
 Anne Northup, Ky. 
 John E. Sununu, N.H 

How To Do It 

Get the appropriate Senator's or Representative's DC office phone or 
fax number, via www.vote-smart.org (have a piece of mail with your 
nine-digit zip handy) or by calling your local library's information 
desk. 

If you're faxing, compose a polite concise one-page letter to them, 
saying who you are and where you're from, telling them what you'd 
like them to do, then briefly explaining why - just hit one or two 
high points, don't overexplain.  Thank them for their attention, 
sign the letter, and send it.  

If phoning, dial their DC office number, ask for whoever handles 
NASA appropriations questions, then when connected to that staffer 
(or more likely their voice mail) tell them briefly who you are 
("I'm Joe Smith from Pocatello Idaho") and what you want them to do 
("I'm calling to ask Senator X/Congressman Y to add $50 million to 
NASA Future-X for reusable rocket flight demonstrators")  If they 
sound totally baffled, tell them the program is described in the 
House NASA Authorization - then (unless they have questions) thank 
them for their time and ring off. 

                                *end*