Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), a former marine serving as the chairman of the Science, Space and Technology Committee’s Subcommittee on Space, recently highlighted the importance America’s role in space and its impact on national security.
“NASA has been without a destination and timeline for a while,” Palazzo said while describing the process by which his subcommittee considered and approved a NASA reauthorization bill on July 10. “We focused on four key priorities. One is the Space Launch System. It’s extremely important that we get American astronauts on American rockets from American soil back into space. We focused on the James Webb Telescope. We focused on the International Space Station. We also focused on commercial space, because we recognize the fact that the private sector might be able to do it a little more efficient and a little less expensive than NASA. With the reality of limited budgets and limited dollars, we would like low Earth orbit to go more commercial and have NASA focus on deep space exploration.”
Palazzo said that space is a key strategic location.
“If you ever watched a war movie, you see these people up on a Hill with a machine gun aiming downhill,” Palazzo said. “Who do you think is in a better position – the people charging up the Hill from the low ground, or the people on the high ground? There is no higher ground than space, and America needs to be in space.”
Palazzo enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1988, serving with the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company in the Persian Gulf War. He currently serves in the Mississippi National Guard.
A certified public accountant, Palazzo attend the University of Southern Mississippi for both his MPA and bachelor’s degree.