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This afternoon Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) delivered a speech on the House Floor discussing the need to invest more in our nation’s space program. In his speech, Posey outlined what a day without NASA spinoff products would be like.

“NASA has been at the cutting edge of technology, leading to many devices and luxuries that we use every day,” said Congressman Posey who worked on the Apollo 11 mission as a young man.

Posey used his time on the floor to also speak about contaminated Chinese drywall which has been used recently to build hundreds of homes in Florida and across the country.

The text of Congressman Posey’s speech is attached below and the video can be seen HERE.

"Madam Speaker,

“It’s a critical time for NASA and our nation’s leadership in space.

“With the looming retirement of the Space Shuttle and the risk of a growing space gap, we risk losing tens of thousands of additional jobs across the U.S.

“These are jobs in industries that develop the cutting edge technology which raises our living standards and helps American businesses compete.

“NASA has been at the cutting edge of technology, leading to many devices and luxuries that we use every day.

“Imagine what a day without NASA products would be like:

“First, you may not have had a good night’s sleep if you normally rest on that temper foam mattress or pillow - originally developed by NASA as a shock absorber. You may have even overslept without NASA’s quartz timing in your alarm clock.

“Being green won’t help you get ready for work in the morning if you have a solar water heater installed on your roof. Many cosmetics, toothpaste and perfumes find their roots in NASA.

“Before you head out the door, you may have difficulty getting an accurate weather forecast due to the lack of weather satellites coming out of our nation’s space program.

“Better use a landline telephone to call work and let them know you’re running late because cell phones and other wireless devices are out of service on a day without NASA derived technology.

“Getting to work might be a challenge as well particularly if you drive a hybrid. The lithium-ion battery in your hybrid was developed with NASA engineering expertise and tested at Kennedy Space Center. Get rid of that temper foam seat if you ride motorcycle to work.

“Don’t plan on flying to that vacation or important job conference. NASA developed flight-tracking and management software is used by air traffic controllers. It probably won’t surprise you that flight safety software was developed by NASA. Just in case you still find yourself on an airplane, it may be a bumpy ride without NASA software that informs pilots of turbulent conditions.

“Work may be a little difficult too without access to NASA computer technology and wireless headsets.

“On an unrelated but important topic –

“As a member of the Contaminated Drywall Caucus and Representative of an area impacted by contaminated drywall, I wanted to take a few minutes to draw the attention of my colleagues to this issue.

“Between the 2004 and 2008 many homes were been built using what has turned out to be organically contaminated drywall.

“Homes in 26 states and the District of Columbia are affected

“It is particularly problematic in areas, like Florida, with high humidity.

“A little over a year ago, it was discovered that the source of a number of corrosion issues and health symptoms were likely due to contaminated drywall that originating from China.

“Since then we’ve been working to find a solution and what we’ve discovered is disturbing.

“The contaminated drywall contains toxic and semi-toxic substances which release harmful gases.

“Many of these homes are filled with a pungent sulfuric odor which has since been linked to adverse health conditions.

“Some families have already been forced to move out of their homes for fear of long term health effects.

“These gases are also responsible for devastating corrosion to many standard household systems such as copper and brass fittings, air compressor coils, electrical systems, and even fire alarms.

“We don’t know if there is a valid remediation protocol short of pulling all the contaminated boards out and replacing them.

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been tasked as the lead Federal agency and is working with Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency to find solutions.

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission will soon release a study to answer some of the questions. They are also working on a remediation protocol.

“The Consumer Product Safety Commission must work closely with all parties, seriously consider the results of private studies, and share the results of their own studies with all stakeholders. We need all parties to be a part of a quick and permanent solution.

“I ask all of my colleagues to join me in thanking all those who are working hard on this issue and in calling on the CPSC to bring forward their study results quickly.”