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Grad Student Eric Jacob Travels to Capitol Hill on Behalf of Citizens for Space Exploration

From May 18-21, 2009, Eric Jacob, a Ph.D. graduate student at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma, Tenn., traveled with 25 other students and 89 additional representatives on behalf of Citizens for Space Exploration (CSE), to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with a singular purpose – support of an adequately funded human space exploration program that encompasses the Space Shuttle, International Space Station and Constellation programs. The group also expressed support for a long-term goal of investing 1% of the federal budget annually in NASA compared to the .5% currently received. The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership’s Aerospace Advisory Committee sponsored Jacob. When asked about his participation in the CSE trip, Jacob replied, “This country needs inspiration. We have to compete on a technological level. NASA is the best way to do that. We saw it in the 60s; we can do it.”