Message to the Congress Transmitting the Report on Aeronautics and Space

To the Congress of the United States:

It is with great pleasure that I transmit this report on the Nation's achievements in aeronautics and space during 1991, as required under section 206 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2476). Not only do aeronautics and space activities involve 14 contributing departments and agencies of the Federal Government, as reflected in this report, but the results of their ongoing research and development affect the Nation as a whole.

Nineteen hundred and ninety-one was a significant year for U.S. aeronautics and space efforts. It included eight space shuttle missions and six successful launches by the Department of Defense. The shuttle missions included the first such mission to focus on astrophysics and the first dedicated to life sciences research. Other shuttle missions included launch of one satellite to study the unexplored polar regions of the Sun and another to collect astronomical data from gamma ray sources. Still another shuttle mission launched a satellite to study global atmospheric change affecting our own planet. In related areas, the Department of Commerce and other Federal agencies have pursued studies of such problems as ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. Also here on Earth, many satellites launched in 1991 and earlier provided vital support for the successful prosecution of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. And in the aeronautical arena, efforts have ranged from the further development of the National Aero-Space Plane to broad-ranging research and development that will reduce aircraft noise and promote the increased safety of flight.

Thus, 1991 was a successful year for the U.S. aeronautics and space programs. Efforts in both areas have promoted significant advances in the Nation's scientific and technical knowledge that promise to improve the quality of life on Earth by increasing scientific understanding, expanding the economy, improving the environment, and defending freedom.

George Bush

The White House,

September 16, 1992.