AAS ACTION ALERT 2004-02

SUMMARY

This Action Alert asks AAS members to quickly contact their

member of Congress and ask that he or she sign on as a
co-sponsor to H.R. 550, a bill entitled "Expressing the
sense of the House of Representatives relating to the
extraordinary contributions resulting from the Hubble
Space Telescope to scientific research and education, and
to the need to reconsider future service missions to the
Hubble Space Telescope."

BACKGROUND

The AAS has issued a policy statement endorsing an
independent review of the decision to cancel future
servicing missions to the Hubble Space Telescope, a
viewpoint initially motivated by the action of Senator
Barbara Mikulski.

On March 3, Congressman Mark Udall (D-CO) introduced a bill
essentially along the lines of the AAS policy position,
namely, to have an independent review of the decision.

The bill (included in its entirety below) includes a
structure for such a review and a timeline for the review.

As of today, only seven (7) co-sponsors are on the bill.
Many more will be needed if it has a chance of passing.

Congressman Udall's remarks upon introducing the bill can be found on the Library of Congress' Thomas website using
the following link:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?r108:1:./temp/~r108wU11lY.

ACTION REQUESTED

AAS members are asked to write their member of the House of
Representatives and request that they become co-sponsors of
this bill and that they get their colleagues to become
co-sponsors as well. Any AAS member making visits to the
hill in the next several weeks should directly ask any
office they visit to be come a co-sponsor. Additionally,
thank-you letters to Congressman Udall would be very
useful.

AAS members may look up their member of Congress using the
AAS Zip-To-It feature available at:
www.aas.org/policy/aas.bios.html

Please call or FAX a short note (sample below). Letters
will not arrive in time to do much good on this issue.

Sidney Wolff, Chair, Committee on Astronomy and Public
Policy
and
Kevin B. Marvel, Deputy Executive Officer

SAMPLE FAX NOTE

Dear Congressman Satellite,

I am writing to ask that you co-sponsor H.R. 550, a bill
which is very important to me personally and to the
nationwide astronomy community.

The bill expresses the sense of the House of
Representatives relating to the extraordinary contributions
resulting from the Hubble Space Telescope to scientific
research and education, and to the need to reconsider
future service missions to the Hubble Space Telescope.

I and my Society, the American Astronomical Society,
representing more than 5000 US-based astronomers strongly
supports this resolution and I hope you will as well.

Should you need any further information, please do not
hesitate contacting me.

Sincerely,

Dr. Stahrs R. Twinklin, Eastern Reserve State
Technological College

Text of HR 550 as Submitted

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has inspired a generation
of Americans with its scientific achievements. Since its
launch in 1990, HST has explored the Universe, ranging from
our own solar system to the most distant galaxies. In the
eyes of the public as well as in the judgment of professional
astronomers, both nationally and internationally, HST
represents the finest of the countless contributions the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is
making to science. While the American Astronomical Society
places paramount importance on astronaut safety, the
astronomy community deeply regrets the cancellation of
future servicing missions at a time when HST continues to
make fundamental discoveries at an undiminished rate.

Thus, the AAS supports the congressional call for an
independent panel of outside experts to review the decision
to limit prematurely the lifespan of the Hubble Space
Telescope. Such a decision must consider all possible
options for accomplishing the servicing mission and must
also be widely understood. We hope that such a review
panel can be convened in a timely manner and its work
completed quickly. We urge that any process to reconsider
the decision to cancel Servicing Mission 4 include as one
of the considerations the future scientific contributions
afforded by HST. These are outlined in part by the HST-JWST
Transition Panel Report.

We further note that sustained HST operations are essential
to reap the full benefits of NASA's other Great
Observatories in space, the Chandra X-ray Telescope,
launched in 1999, and the Spitzer Infrared Telescope,
launched just a few months ago.

Only if HST operates at full capability through 2009 do we
have the opportunity to take advantage of the scientific
synergy of these three Great Observatories, examining
astronomical sources across the electromagnetic spectrum in
X-ray, visual, ultraviolet and infrared light.

The Hubble Space Telescope is an international treasure
that has inspired the people of America and the world for
nearly 15 years. Its impact, not only on science, but on
the dreams and imagination of our young people, cannot be
overstated.
___________________________________________________________

AAS Action Alert 2004-02
[Mailed to US members from aas.org at 10:15am 5 MARCH 2004]

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www.aas.org/policy/InformationalEmails.html
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www.aas.org/policy/ActionAlerts.html
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