Congressman Steve Knight, R-Santa Clarita, voted in favor of a multi-billion dollar bill to fund NASA programs in science, research and technology.

On April 17, the House Committee on Science, Space, & Technology favorably reported H.R. 5503, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Authorization Act of 2018 by a vote of 26 to 7.

Knight, a member of the committee, voted in support of the bill that authorizes approximately $21 billion for various programs.

First, the bill codifies NASA’s civil experimental “X”-Plane program to evaluate and prove technology concepts that can be applied to civilian air travel.

“Aeronautics is the first ‘A’ of NASA and is my first priority on the Science Committee,” said Knight. “The programs supported by this bill each represent the potential for generational leaps in aerospace and flight technology. Historically, American leadership in these fields has improved the lives of people in every part of the world.”

H.R. 5503 also supports consistent funding for multiple programs with heavy production and development assets in Southern California.

These include, but are not limited to, supersonic flight research, the Space Launch System, Orion rocket and the James Webb Space Telescope.

“Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier over 70 years ago,” said Knight. “Yet for whatever reason, this hasn’t translated to widespread commercial and civilian applications. If we can find a way to dampen the sonic boom of commercial aircraft, it could spark a revolution in commercial air travel and allow us to accomplish speeds and convenience never seen before.”

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