[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 3] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 3134] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]50TH ANIVERSARY OF AEROSPACE CORPORATION ______ HON. JANE HARMAN of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Ms. HARMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the Aerospace Corporation's 50th anniversary. Fifty years ago the United States Congress had the foresight to create the Aerospace Corporation, a federally funded research and development center. The Aerospace Corporation doesn't make the things that orbit in space. It makes the things that orbit in space work properly, and helps get them there safely. The Aerospace Corporation has been involved in every Defense Department space program since 1960. From blueprint to launch and system architecture, the Aerospace Corporation is the Pentagon's technical conscience, its independent math checker. The Aerospace Corporation has played a key role in developing and maintaining the space systems Americans and people around the world now take for granted, like GPS and weather satellites. And it makes sure the launches of those satellites are safe and successful. Fifty years after its creation, we need The Aerospace Corporation more than ever. The United States is at a crossroads in space. China launched a shot across our bow in 2007 when it destroyed a satellite in low-Earth orbit. That sent me a very clear message. While the United States may still enjoy superiority in space, we're no longer the only player. We must protect our space assets, and build a constellation of robust, redundant, low-cost communication, navigation and reconnaissance satellites that can withstand an attack or a catastrophic accident. If we don't start now we are going to be too late. We not only need a new generation of spacecraft, we need a new generation of space engineers. Our space workforce is aging. Some 60% of aerospace workers are over age 50, and almost 26% are eligible for retirement this year. Not enough young scientists and engineers are signing up to take their place. While the United States graduates 70,000 engineers, a meager 15 percent of our college graduates every year, China graduates more than half a million. China has decided the most important asset to a space program and its future as a super power is human capital--the scientists, engineers, and technicians that design and build satellites, rockets, and space vehicles. And while we struggle to educate enough engineers to keep up internationally, we're losing many of them to the sexy new world of Internet technology. It used to be that being a rocket scientist was synonymous with genius. Now it seems that mantle has slipped onto the shoulders of those who invented Facebook, eBay and Google. If we want to continue to be the world's leader in space, we have to get our young people to dream again--dreaming out of this world, literally. We need to inspire our young people the same way President Kennedy did nearly 50 years ago when he committed the United States to winning the space race. I've lived through a half century of U.S. space superiority. Only with sustained focus and leadership will my kids and grandchildren enjoy another half century of U.S. dominance. At this milestone, let us chart a path to that century. ____________________