[background sounds]. Good morning, the subcommittee on commerce science related agency on the Appropriations Committee will come to order, and senator moran, is on his way we think and so in the interest of trying to keep this hearing on time, i want to go ahead and began. For the record we will no longer take people asking questions and virtual formats so people wont be here who person and we will take people in the order of arrival for questions. This is a Pivotal Moment with disparity and security of the United States and democracy around the world, as a defense subcommittee which is also meeting right now, secretary of defense lloyd austin and chairman of the joint chief of staff mark millie, are discussing sources needed to make that military challenges from russia, china and others around the world. With the agencies that are represented here that each of you represent National Aeronautics and space administration, nasa and National Science foundation, and assess, and are also key to standing up to the challenges facing our country and so gives me great pleasure this morning to welcome nasa administrator bill nelson and a director, and im going to tell you, for hes of statements and so thank you both for being here this morning is really going to see you again and im delighted that Ranking Member has joined us. Just to clarify again for the record, we have about four hearings going on in the senate this morning and so we are not sure who will be able to attend but senator brandon i have lots of questions and so we will be able to cover so many issues that are going to be important as we look at the appropriations process that programs that each of you manager on the frontlines with the nations cybersecurity, training future technicians, explores and entrepreneurs, developing industries of the future, and understanding potential threat of Climate Change and this subcommittee once the next pair of boots on the moon, the next nobel prizewinning discovery, and the next paradigm changing Technology Company to be made in the usa, or from my perspective, better yet the grant stadiums for senate moran feels about this same way about his home state of kansas we know in New Hampshire manufacturers what it takes to cut is basement local Companies Much like micro any contract for nasa, is a continued contributor of technology and supplies to these programs. But we cannot take our continued leadership are correct printed competitors including china, especially china, are missing heavily in scientific and technological innovation if we want to sustain our scientific of leadership in the economic Austerity National security that affords we have to continue to keep peace. When the u. S. Government was shut down in 2019, we parted and bunkering in a disagreement in the senate over the budget, and china was landing on the dark side of the moon. Were not going to be able to compete if that is the choice that we have. And i focus on the past, but we need to learn from it so that we do not repeat it most critical, is a reminder was at stake in this global constitution as i am pleased that the fiscal year 2022 provided the largest increase in more than a decade to 730 million increase for nasa and also please do the congress is currently in the midst of a bipartisan conference on significant legislation to advance the mission of both of these agencies, the u. S. Nation and competition act which is the name of the Senate Version of the bill. President biden fiscal year 2023, budget, for nasa they build on this progress in the keep the nation moving in the right direction it vanessa, the fy 2023 request is nearly 26 million increase of 1. 9 billion Great Percent above the fy 202022 enacted level in the presence request was 10. 5 billion for nsf, this is an increase of 1. 65 billion or 19 percent above the fy 2020 enacted level and there is a lot to like in these requests and i am sure that each of you would like more but i think that this is an increase that can be put to good use and another both agencies plan to expand Climate Research it vanessa his asking for 2. 4 billion in Science Research and more than 500 million to lessen the impact of the aviation. And assess the budget includes a total of 1. 55 billion for climate, and Clean Energy Research as we work to enhance her Energy Security and create Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy jobs. And most important, the request investing in people with 150 million engagement and nasa in 1. 4 billion for nsf renamed for Stem Education and this is a major priority for me, because i have seen how critical it is to our economy and New Hampshire and the country and tested a Ribbon Cutting undercutting yesterday which makes critical parts for the f35 and a lot of war fighting equipment had a they are hoping to hire several hundred more jobs in New Hampshire, i asked them what your biggest challenge was it was workforce, and finding those stem educated workers who can come in and do the job come the engineers on the scientists that they need, and so the work that youre doing in that area, both nasa and nsf is really critical and this is of course point of pride for New Hampshire as well because of the home of alan shepard, both Granite State or sandy emblem of Stem Education and the same sentiment is shared by our academic institutes that are highly respected around the country for the Aerospace Research innovation and as we were discussing, senator administered nelson part of the university of New Hampshire state Science Center recently selected by nasas re search the her son and environment one of the two winners of the medium competition, the 250 million more to improve her understanding of the dynamics of the sun, connection to the earth, and the universe pretty nasas budget request will land the next humans on the moon, and return soil samples from mars, while nsf seeks to create jobs and maintain u. S. Leadership on critical technology, that will define the next several decades and technologies like Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing, Technology Innovations in partnership and i really look forward to hearing more about that in your testimony and there also a few challenging items in these requests, in particular concern the most constant nasa ilio physics and overall lack of resources to address recent decay surveys in astrophysics and Planetary Science at both agencies so in conclusion i believe that we must continue to look towards the next frontiers of science in space and im looking forward to the launch of one this summer and we understand of the senator moran is also looking forward to that and i support nasa that is it under innocent because these agencies inspire us with driven research and exploration ten i think curiosity is one of the most important aspects of the human condition and so we thank you both of you for what you do to answer these questions are we want to know how about and so without any recognize the vice chair and one of the United States competition next ten here is senator moran. Chairwoman thank you and i appreciate hearing your enthusiasm and you and i are involved in a lot of hearings in the subcommittee and others, and i would hate to admit that any of them are ones that im not excited about being at but if theres a level of enthusiasm, for a subject in for a hearing, it is this morning it is nice to have the two of you here today together in a certainly welcome, our former colleagues and administrator nelson, and director to this hearing and i want to start by thinking punch for visiting kansas with me last year it was a highlight in a very valuable certainly to me and i hope to you, but for the people, the students that we spent and you spent time with in a very that is sooner nelson, you are relentless maybe an overstatement but not far, relentless in your willingness stated willingness to come to kansas and it seems to be my schedule thats keeping them from happening and im going to make it happen shortly and i think you for that and there is great value in americans seeing it the two of you and hearing what you are about in your mission and generating the enthusiasm and helpful to us as we appropriated money for our constituents to believe that money is being widely and wisely spent in a value to the country and this the proposed budget for the 26 billion increase of about 8 percent. An assessed proposed budget is 2. 5 billion, and represent almost 18 percent increase and im pleased to be country and i hope that we have success in reaching an agreement so that legislature can become law nasas one of the most wellknown Government Agencies in the past we have witnessed the successful launch of the james telescope, the appreciate your efforts administrators to see an iron for my colleagues were present and we didnt quite succeeded it all worked on the 20th of december and orange on the 22nd of december, and the may have fourth of december about was business morning, most of our families had other plans for us on that day but in addition to james Webb Telescope it was a year of research and science of mars, perseverance and ingenuity and we are eagerly awaiting this artisan one launch that signifies a first step to returning americas astronauts in this case, a woman to the moon predict and i have been the leader republican this when he sincerely days of this program and work closely with the previs administrator could unify challenges at what was needed to ensure the longterm success of this mission and returning to the moon insisting the presence or the long triple for foundation and in place this administration is continuing that goal and the scientific research, is no less impressive in kansas kansas alone you can go from a lab, sitting plant genomics to studying arctic and antarctic ice, without leaving the state and even without leaving the campus we cannot rest upon past successes however significant competition across the globe to be that nation that unlocks the discoveries that will drive Economic Growth and success in this research is important to our National Security has well. We see the competition is focus from investments by other nations but also from incentivizing unlawful transfer of intellectual property and this is a recognition of the power of knowledge is important we are able to harness the power of knowledge is friction generated by your agencies for the good of the country nasa and nsf have the opportunities to get pleasant images to encourages students and young people across the country no matter where they live to pursue activities and careers in stem and we just had a astronaut in kansas at the cosmos fear and we visited with fourth fifth and sixth graders, huge value and no interest in me but they were very excited about the astronaut in our country needs workforce and each and every state is ready push frontier of knowledge as a skills to drive it into feet become a great opportunity within your agency to maintain leadership across the scientific sacrament honors and in space, and for your strategic in our investments in and for the time where there is severe and rest in the world from a russian try to continue to make significant gains in space domain and vital to the united sees maintaining our leadership in space and in research and in developing arteries hundred forward to discussing the details of your proposed budget being presentedh for your leadership. Thank you very much. Thank you, if i may, and my remarks have them submitted to the record i would like to just talk to you if i may. And for small i want to thank you all for the appropriations for 2022, and they gave us what we needed. And a little birdie told me that you all are seriously considering getting the Appropriations Bills out for 2023 before october the first. I hope it does. It will bring about certainty for all agencies of government if that in fact happens and breaks what has become a routine procedure where we often wait half at least of the fiscal year before getting the appropriations and going on a continuing resolution of previous appropriations which often dont have any applications at present so i commend you. I want you to know to pick up on comments that both of you made about stem and about kids. I have been blown away by our interns. We have lots of interns and we love our interns. 30 end up coming to work for nasa, and we are going to expand our interns. They are reflective of what the two of you just related about seeing students in school that when the subject of space comes up, their little eyes light up, they get excited, they are motivated. Its a subject matter of which its a window into the items that are absolutely critical for the future of the country, science, technology, engineering, mathematics. We saw a bit of this several generations ago in the apollo generation for when that major thrust of a space achievement occurred for two generations of students we saw the effects of a concentration on the stem subject matter and how that rippled through the schools and the colleges and universities and produced a workforce that gave us some of the technology that we are experiencing today and thats whats going to happen with of the rms generation and you all, the two of you just testified to that effect by virtue of what youve seen and its extraordinary. We are taking it very seriously. We send our astronauts to a lot of schools. We send our scientists to a lot of schools. We are giving grants specifically in areas that have been overlooked in the past. This is part of our diversity outreach, so for example, weve sent a space grant to the university of wyoming. In the past a lot of those universities didnt have a direct relation, but we dont want those students in rural areas and that is just one example, we dont want them overlooked. They are part of the National Culture that is so excited about space and technology so forth, so i wanted to comment since the two of you both mentioned it. Youve given us the resources in which to proceed with the rms program. It was the apollo generation. We are going back to the moon, we are going to land the first woman and man. Its going to be an exciting time but this time, we are going back to learn, to stay, to develop new systems, new technologies, new techniques on how to live a long time and that hostile environment because when we go to mars, we are going to have to have learned that and learn new technologies. I want to urge you as an Appropriations Committee dont short sheet Space Technology. We need that extra research and development and let me give you one example. For years, by the way, you, the congress, rescued us on the question of Nuclear Energy in space. As a matter of fact not until this year were we able to get the office of management and budget to agree to put albeit a minor amount, a symbolic amount for Nuclear Research for space, nuclear thermal and electric not only producing electricity where, for example on the surface of the moon we are going to need a lot of electricity because if we find water, then we have rocket fuel and we have a Mission Going to land on the south pole next year. Its going to dig around down to the moons surface and if theres water we have that opportunity so i want to commend you for how youve constantly supported the nuclear electric but i want to ask you to consider pouring on the juice because that would give us a way to get to mars quicker and if we can get to mars quicker, then we dont have to stay there a long time until the planets realigned so that we can get back in a reasonable period of time so i could keep talking on and on. Aviation, something dear to senator moran. We will fly the First Electric airplane this year. We are going to fly the first low sonic boom supersonic future transport that can fly over Populated Areas with just a little rumble instead of that boom that goes with the existing sonic boom. Theres so many things, im going to wait for your questions. Both of you mentioned james webbs space telescope. My goodness, in one month we will have the first pictures, and its going to be from light traveled at the speed of light 186,000 miles per second traveled for 13. 5 billion years. It will be the life and infrared spectrum that is from the formation of the very first galaxy. Think of the discoveries that we are going to have of this thing called the universe that is too big for me to even conceive it. Think of the questions we are going to answer of which we dont even know what the questions are right now as a result of what we are going to learn. Im going to stop there, madam chair. I want to hear from the doctor that is well known, well respected in his scientific discovery, a partner for us and i look forward to hearing from you all is well. Thank you. Thank you very much. Doctor . Thank you so much. Good morning chair shaheen, Ranking Member and members of the subcommittee. Its an honor to appear with you today to discuss the president s fy 23 budget request and the many ways in which the Nati