Today, our nation's 30-year long space shuttle program ended when when the shuttle Atlantis returned to Earth from its final mission. Upon the historic completion of this national journey and exploration, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) urged the President and the administration to push forward on promptly completing the Orion space capsule being developed by Lockheed Martin in Jefferson County , CO .In a letter to President Obama, Perlmutter stated, "Human spaceflight enables discoveries in science and technology...while inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers who will power our economic future. I am hopeful the Administration will direct NASA to...speed development of the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle and Space Launch System (SLS), so we can embark on a new era of American dominance in human spaceflight."
Perlmutter lead delegation efforts last year to save funding for continuing the Orion space capsule project which employs approximately 4,000 people working with Lockheed Martin and other local aerospace companies based in Colorado . This project is an engine for innovation and private sector economic growth throughout the state of Colorado .
Last month, NASA decided to use the Orion crew exploration vehicle for manned missions to deep space, which will help assure the United States continued access to the International Space Station.
