Senator Cramer visits Kennedy Space Center and highlights UND research

By Charles S. Ray Last updated Mar 5, 2022

***Click here for the pictures.***

CAPE CANAVERAL — U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and co-chair of the Senate Space Forces Caucus, toured the Kennedy Space Center and toured Space Studies at the University of North Dakota (UND) Department Director Dr. Pablo de León’s ongoing research and design for space suits and space habitats at the Space Life Sciences Lab.

“With our state’s Space Force footprint, Air Force expertise, and world-class academic research, North Dakota is leading the way in cementing America’s dominance in space. It was great to see firsthand our contributions at Kennedy Space Center toward the future of humanity in space,” said Senator Cramer.

The tour also included the Artemis I lunar exploration program, the SpaceX hangar, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Veggie program, and the Swamp Works facility, which showcases new tools for deep space exploration.

Context:

Senator Cramer was instrumental in creating the Space Force, securing its inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act, which President Trump signed into law in December 2019. Since then, Senator Cramer has helped implement it, using his SASC seat to work with space leaders and bring them to North Dakota to see the state’s space potential first-hand. This included the Chief of Space Operations, General Raymond first official trip as Chief of Space Force, where he visited the University of North Dakota School of Aerospace Science and Cavalier Air Force Station.

Senator Cramer also founded the Senate Space Force Caucus with fellow co-chairs Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). The caucus offers a way to craft bipartisan legislative ideas and further support America’s fledgling military branch.

As the first-ever North Dakota to serve on a Congressional Armed Services Committee, Senator Cramer used his SASC seat to secure funding authority and language for missions that directly and indirectly benefit the Dakota military community. North. In July 2021, he announced the US Cavalier Air Force Station officially became part of the US Space Force. Cavalier and the Space Force will use its capabilities to effectively monitor our adversaries’ space activities and ensure that we keep our country safe.

In August 2021, UND became the first university to partner with the US Space Force through its University Partnership Program, which will give students the chance to be at the forefront of addressing the country’s urgent space needs. The partnership between UND and Space Force also makes North Dakota stronger, Space Force better, and America safer.