Washington, D.C. – Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today released the following statement in response to NASA’s announcement that it has confirmed evidence that water flows on the surface of Mars.
Chairman Lamar Smith: “We live in exciting times. Water is one of the most precious resources necessary for a human mission to the Red Planet. The more evidence we find of it, the more encouraged I am for future Mars missions. We continue to learn that Mars is an active planet worthy of further study. Today’s announcement reminds us why we must remain committed to American space leadership and Mars exploration.”
Currently, NASA is working on several Mars missions, including a robotic mission known as InSight and a human mission that will use the Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle. Chairman Smith has long been an advocate for these systems that will make human deep-space missions possible.