Astronaut Safe Temporary Ride Options Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 272, the Astronaut Safe Temporary Ride Options Act, or, for short, the ASTRO Act. As the bill's sponsor, I thank Chairman Comer for his help in getting the bill to the floor.

One of the great honors of serving as the chairman of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics is having the opportunity to meet our astronauts preparing to go to space and to hear from them after they return from their missions. The ASTRO Act is a result of these conversations and NASA's advocacy for increased astronaut safety.

The brave men and women who wear the iconic blue flight suit risk their lives to advance America's leadership in space. We owe it to them to ensure that when they return from long-duration space missions, their recovery and health studies are not hampered by bureaucracy.

The space environment poses significant medical issues, such as osteoporosis, muscle atrophy, broken bones from reentry, vision and ocular changes, and disrupted equilibrium, which prevent astronauts from being able to drive when they come back home.

However, NASA astronauts' participation in physiological research and longitudinal studies upon their return from space informs future exploration efforts and how we treat future astronauts. It is imperative that they get these things checked.

The ASTRO Act streamlines the approval process for astronauts to receive transportation to and from their homes and the Johnson Space Center for doctor visits until they are medically cleared to resume driving. There are no costs associated with this bill but, rather, a significant paperwork reduction in the approval process.

Additionally, my bill provides transparency by requiring NASA to send an annual report to Congress on how this authority is used in the future.

Astronauts' health data acquired by the Johnson Space Center upon return from space is invaluable. This bill ensures hassle-free transportation to and from these important medical evaluations so that we can appropriately study the impacts of space exploration on the human body.

As we prepare to go to the Moon and farther to Mars and beyond, it is incumbent upon us to streamline operations to enable discovery and innovation. America has long been the leader in space exploration, and we must remain there. We will continue to push the bounds of our universe outward.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Jeff Jackson for cosponsoring this legislation bipartisanly as well as Chairman Comer and Chairman Lucas for their support. I urge my colleagues to please support this bill.

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