Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (Inspire) Women Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4755) to inspire women to enter the aerospace field, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, through mentorship and outreach.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4755

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--

(1) NASA GIRLS and NASA BOYS are virtual mentoring programs using commercially available video chat programs to pair National Aeronautics and Space Administration mentors with young students anywhere in the country. NASA GIRLS and NASA BOYS give young students the opportunity to interact and learn from real engineers, scientists, and technologists.

(2) The Aspire to Inspire (A2I) program engages young girls to present science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career opportunities through the real lives and jobs of early career women at NASA.

(3) The Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research (SISTER) program at the Goddard Space Flight Center is designed to increase awareness of, and provide an opportunity for, female middle school students to be exposed to and explore nontraditional career fields with Goddard Space Flight Center women engineers, mathematicians, scientists, technicians, and researchers. SEC. 3. SUPPORTING WOMEN'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE FIELDS OF AEROSPACE AND SPACE EXPLORATION.

The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall encourage women and girls to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, pursue careers in aerospace, and further advance the Nation's space science and exploration efforts through support of the following initiatives:

(1) NASA GIRLS and NASA BOYS.

(2) Aspire to Inspire.

(3) Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research. SEC. 4. PLAN.

Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan for how NASA can best facilitate and support both current and retired astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators, including early career female astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators, to engage with K-12 female STEM students and inspire the next generation of women to consider participating in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to pursue careers in aerospace. This plan shall--

(1) report on existing activities with current and retired NASA astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators;

(2) identify how NASA could best leverage existing authorities to facilitate and support current and retired astronaut, scientist, engineer, and innovator participation in NASA outreach efforts;

(3) propose and describe a program specific to retired astronauts, scientists, engineers, and innovators; and

(4) identify any additional authorities necessary to institute such a program.

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Mrs. COMSTOCK. 4755, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise again to offer another bill, H.R. 4755, the INSPIRE Act. I am pleased to lead this effort along with the chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Lamar Smith and Eddie Bernice Johnson, as well as Congresswoman Esty.

This bill authorizes the NASA Administrator to encourage young women to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, known as the STEM fields, and to pursue careers that will further advance America's space science and exploration efforts through support of NASA initiatives, such as NASA GIRLS, Aspire 2 Inspire, and the Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research, SISTER.

The goal of NASA GIRLS is to create a virtual mentoring project that offers a one-of-a-kind experience to middle school students using online capabilities. I should mention there also is a NASA BOYS.

NASA's vision for Aspire 2 Inspire was to reach out to young girls and present some of the science, technology, engineering, and math career opportunities through the real lives and jobs of early career women at NASA.

The SISTER program is designed to increase awareness of and provide an opportunity for female middle school students to be exposed to and explore nontraditional career fields with Goddard Space Flight Center women engineers, mathematicians, scientists, technicians, and researchers.

According to NASA, 58 women have traveled in space. Forty-nine of those have flown with NASA. Most Americans are familiar with Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. We all remember that special moment when this true trailblazer literally raised the bar of achievement to new heights. She accomplished this milestone in 1983.

In a lecture she gave at Berkeley later, Ride said she saw an ad for being an astronaut in the student newspaper. She said: ``The moment I saw that ad, I knew that's what I wanted to do.''

Now, imagine how so many young girls can now see so many other women and be exposed to that kind of leadership.

We cannot discuss female firsts in space without also discussing Mae Jemison, who was the first African American woman in space, also an inspired leader.

She was inspired by Sally Ride's achievement; so, she applied to the astronaut program in 1983. It was 4 long years before she received the call from NASA, and she was selected as one of 15 candidates out of roughly 2,000 applicants.

Her trip to space was aboard the Endeavor in 1992. She served as a mission specialist on STS-47, which was a cooperative mission between the U.S. and Japan, during which 44 life science and materials processing experiments were conducted. STS-47 also happened to be the 50th shuttle mission for NASA.

Later in 1995, it was Eileen Collins who became the first female to command and pilot a spacecraft, STS-63. She also commanded two more space missions, one in 1997 aboard STS-84, and one in 2005 aboard STS- 114.

This mission, STS-114, was another first, as she became the first astronaut--male or female--to fly a space shuttle through a 360-degree pitch maneuver so that individuals inside the International Space Station could inspect the belly of the shuttle for damage.

When asked to give advice for future astronauts, Collins stated: ``My advice to young people is go into the field you are most interested in. If you love your job, you'll do well in your job.''

I know, Mr. Speaker, from my Young Women Leadership Program, where we are able to get young girls in junior high and high school to come and hear from young leaders, hearing from these young astronauts--which we have been privileged to hear from often about all their work and the many different areas that they work in--has been one of the most popular programs.

There are many other women who have contributed to America's space- related endeavors, and we want to continue to make sure that that path is widened for them.

These women are physicists, chemists, pilots, astronauts, doctors, biologists. The list goes on. According to the women@nasa Web site today, there are more opportunities than ever before to join as we reach for the stars.

I urge you to visit the Web site--it is women.nasa.gov--to learn more. It is in these areas in the sciences that we can help ensure America remains a world leader.

These are the jobs for the 21st century that we very much want young American women to be engaged and involved in. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, while overall employment is only projected to grow by 10 percent between 2008 and 2018, careers in STEM-related fields are expected to grow at a much faster rate of 17 percent over that same time period.

Unfortunately, current statistics show that women are less likely to focus on STEM-related studies in college and, of the women who pursue these areas of study, only 26 percent will ultimately work in STEM- related fields.

Recognizing the need not only for more women in the workforce, but for women to be leaders in the workforce, particularly in the STEM fields, I established the Young Women Leadership Program, which I previously mentioned, where we have been so thrilled to be able to have astronauts come and speak and other people in the science and STEM-related fields and aerospace.

This has been an effective tool in guiding young women into STEM fields. I appreciate the opportunity today to join with my colleague, the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty), to support both of these bills.

I ask you to support H.R. 4755, the Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers Women Act, or INSPIRE Act.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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