Chapter Links
Home Page
Subchapters
MIT Mars Society
Cape Cod
New Hampshire
Mars Today
The Planet Mars
Next Spacecraft
To Mars:
Mars Oddyssey
2001
Mars Express/
Beagle2
Mars Rovers 2003
Nozomi (Planet-B)
Mars Society Links
Home Page
New Mars E-Zine
In the News
Bulletins
Mars Links
Add Site
Steering Committee
Convention Photo Gallery
|
. |
Congressional Outreach:
Help Save Human Mars Exploration Funding!
As a result of cost overruns in the Space Station program, NASA headquarters has
issued an order to stop or eliminate all technology development projects
supporting human Mars exploration. Without these programs, we cannot lay the ground-work for a human
mission to Mars anytime soon.
This action must be reversed!
Click here for the complete text.
Congressional meetings:
The following strategy evolved out of a discussion with Dr. Robert Zubrin on how to set up, present at and run a meeting with a congressman:
Making Contact:
Call the office. Say you'd like to set up an appointment to talk about the space program/Mars Society/humanity's future in space. You'll be bounced around the office for a while until you come to someone important. Give them the same information about your intent. They will most likely ask you to send them a letter. Have one ready ( I'll try to prepare one) and fax it to them.
Follow up with a call about two days later. You should have an appointment by now (it may only be for half an hour, but
that's enough). If you can't make the date they've set up, accept anyway. Find people who can attend.
What to Bring:
Photocopies of Newspaper articles:
- New York Times - Tues. Aug 18, 1998
- Boston Globe - Sun. Aug 16, 1998
(These prove that we are an organization worthy of note- check for more
current articles as well!)
- Founding Declaration - a copy to leave with them...maybe several.
- Finally - if you get to talk to an actual congressman or a very high-up aide, bring a copy of The Case for Mars for them to have.
Be prepared to discuss what we want - an outline of our goals and why we've asked to speak with them. From the bulletin sent out a few days ago:
- NASA's robotic Mars exploration program should have its budget doubled. It is currently about $250 million per year, or slightly less than 2% of NASA's 13 billion per year budget. It should be raised to 4%, or $500 million/year.
- Congress needs to allocate $130 million per year (1% of NASA's budget) to the NASA HEDS (Human Exploration and Development of Space) organization for a program to develop the technologies for human Mars exploration missions. This is necessary to prepare the way for a breakout into space early in the next administration.
- We want a "Humans to Mars" program launched early in the next elected administration. Congressmen can help this occur by publicly voicing support for this goal on an appropriate occasion.
As for how to steer the discussion, use your judgement - the approach will be different for a liberal democrat versus a conservative republican.
Contact information for the New England Chapter states
Full addresses are given below.
Senators
New Hampshire
| Gregg, Judd |
R |
393 Russell * | 1-202-224-3324 |
1-202-224-4952 |
Smith, Bob |
R |
307 Dirksen + | 1-202-224-2841 |
1-202-224-1353 |
Rhode Island
| Reed, Jack |
D |
320 Hart # | 1-202-224-4642 |
1-202-224-4680 |
Chafee, John H. |
R |
505 Dirksen + | 1-202-224-2921 |
1-202-224-none |
- + Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
- # Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
- * Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Representitives
Click here to utilize the zip code lookup of your congressional representative, from the US House of Representatives.
District Name Affiliation
Connecticut
1 Barbara B. Kennelly D
2 Sam Gejdenson D
3 Rosa L. DeLauro D
4 Cristoper Shays R
5 James H. Maloney D
6 Nancy L. Johnson R
Maine
1 Thomas H. Allen D
2 John Elias Baldacci D
Massachusetts
1 John W. Olver D
2 Richard E. Neal D
3 James P. McGovern D
4 Barney Frank D
5 Martin T. Meehan D
6 John F. Tierny D
7 Edward J. Markey D
8 Joseph P, Kennedy, Jr. D
9 John Joseph Moakley D
10 William K. Delahunt D
New Hampshire
1 John E. Sununu R
2 Charles F. Bass R
Rhode Island
1 Patrick J. Kennedy D
2 Robert A. Weygand D
Vermont
At Large Bernard Sanders None
Purpose:
The New England Congressional Outreach branch serves to
organize the political actions of the New England Chapter of the
Mars Society. Together the members have much more effect than
they could acting singularly. The main tool
of this organizaton is the letter. Current projects include a
letter writing campaign to support the adoption by the US Senate
of House Resolution 572, a measure authorizing private reusable
vehicles, and letters to each the candidates for legislative office.
Future projects include personal visits to congressional offices
after the election season.
You can read our Founding Declaration by clicking here.
|
