NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

By: Jim Hodges

The biggest Langley Aerospace Research Summer Scholars class in the history of the center -- 184 strong – came to listen Monday at the Reid Conference Center at NASA Langley.

So did representatives of the Achieving Competence in Computing, Engineering and Space Science (ACCESS) Program. And of the Undergraduate Student Researching Program (USRP). And Motivating Students in Science and Technology (MUST) program, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (ESMD), Aeronautics Scholarship and NASA DEVELOP -- Science Directorate programs.

They heard Lesa Roe, the center director, outline the mission at Langley and of NASA overall and heard her say, "You are now part of that progress."

"We're going to need folks from many fields of study – engineers, scientists, mathematicians, business professionals, all are going to be needed to create the technologies of tomorrow," Roe added.

Then she put a carrot before the entire class: "Who knows, maybe someone in this room will be the first human to walk on Mars."

Rep. Rob Wittman challenges LARSS students to be an advocate for NASA during their convocation at the Reid Conference Center. Credit: NASA/Sean Smith.

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And the LARSS class and interns from other summer programs also came to speak, peppering Rep. Rob Wittman (R-Va. 1st) -- who counts Langley in his district -- with questions ranging from those about NASA to those about the Chesapeake Bay and the U.S. economy.

"We in Congress need to make sure that we put the resources behind NASA to make sure that it can continue and emerge as an even greater leader in the science, technology, engineering and math research areas," Wittman said, then turned the conversation over to students' questions for more than 40 minutes.

--On carbon emissions: "I believe that we are experiencing climate change. The key is, how much of that is caused by man and how much is part of a natural cycle?" It's only one of the questions Congress is mulling toward a policy concerning carbon emissions, Wittman said.

--On nuclear power: "If we are going to be successful at putting in a comprehensive National Energy Policy, we're going to have to have nuclear energy as part of it. … The technology is out there. We're seen it applied elsewhere. … We need now as a Congress to adopt a comprehensive energy policy to lead us into the future."

--Does Congress favor manned or unmanned space exploration? "There's not a clear direction on that yet. … I think at the end of the day, it's going to boil down to where do we gain the most for the investment we have."

-- On NASA's budget: "I think there's a renewed sense of responsibility on the part of Congress to make sure we adequately fund NASA. We know that we haven't done what we needed to do to make sure that NASA has the resources it has needed in the past in all of the areas of research it does, especially in the areas of aeronautics and science. … The only complicating factor here is the competition for the resources."

--On the public perception of NASA: "You all are going to be the best advocates for NASA, not only as you study here but as you walk out of here. You all are going to be the folks who can go back to your communities and say, 'let me tell you how important the work at NASA is and why in the decision-making realm, it's important to get resources there.' "

--On the Chesapeake Bay: "I think (it's) at a tipping point. … We've got to do something, and we've got to do it now. If we don't do something, not within the next 10 years but within the next 2-3 years, I think we might not be able to bring the bay back to anything that any of us would be satisfied with."


 
NASA Langley Research Center
Managing Editor: Jim Hodges
Executive Editor and Responsible NASA Official: H. Keith Henry
Editor and Curator: Denise Lineberry