To watch Senator Capito’s questioning, click here or the image above.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, participated in a hearing on the budget request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

 (NASA) for FY2022. During the hearing, Senator Capito questioned NASA Administrator Bill Nelson about funding priorities important to West Virginia, as well as the importance of inspiring the next generation of female leaders in our country’s exploration of space.

HIGHLIGHTS:

WEST VIRGINIA ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY CENTER FUNDING: “I’m pleased to see what was formerly the RESTORE-L, which is the OSAM-1, funding levels in the budget request. There is great work being done in my home state of West Virginia by the West Virginia Robotic Technology Center. This is where they’re working on restoring satellites in space instead of just letting them drift off. It makes a whole lot of sense. So, I don’t know if you can elaborate on that, on how that’s going, and why you feel that is a high priority for NASA?”

ON SUPPORT FOR KATHERINE JOHNSON IV&V CENTER: “I know Senator Manchin mentioned the IV&V Center in our state as well, and we are very proud of the workforce there. They do a lot of internships with West Virginia University and Fairmont State. I still think they have the capacity there to help across all levels of Government to do the verification they do. I would just encourage the emphasis that you all at NASA have put on that facility, to increase the footprint and utilize the workforce there.”

ON INSPIRING THE NEXT GERNATION OF FEMALE LEADERS IN SPACE: “We had Peggy Whitson, who is a very famous female astronaut who, interestingly, is going to be the pilot for one of the private ventures into space. I took her to classrooms, and she was such an inspiration to our youngest generation, particularly young women and girls. She told the story about how she became inspired by watching somebody walk on the moon when she was in second grade, that’s when she decided that she wanted to try and be an astronaut. We also did a remote [event] with a female astronaut who was an American who in Russia at the time. There again, to that next generation of dreamers and aspirational young women. Is this a big area of influence for NASA in terms of trying to diversify the workforce in a lot of different ways? I’m specifically asking about women, I know there is one going to the moon and I’m excited about that.”

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