Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Business and Economic Development, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 277 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to encourage the Legislature to collaborate with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and other aerospace-related agencies to expand and diversify the aerospace industry through the development of the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems.

Your Committee heard testimony in support of this measure from a former Governor, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the Hawaii Space Grant Consortium at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the University of Hawaii at Hilo Conference Center, the Japan-United States Science, Technology, and Space Applications Program (JUSTSAP), the Maritime Consultants of the Pacific, and PBS Hawaii.

In November 2003, delegates attending a JUSTSAP workshop proposed establishing a center for astronaut training, aerospace education, and space technology testing and evaluation in Hawaii that would capitalize on the State's unique human, technological, and environmental resources to support robotic and human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) was envisioned to maintain a base research and training facility on the island of Hawaii, and facilitate workshops, conferences, and other meetings focused on the design, development, and implementation of multinational space exploration projects involving the United States, Japan, and other countries from the Asia-Pacific Region.

The primary goals of PISCES will be to provide a testbed to support future robotic and human missions to the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies in the solar system, and facilitate the training of scientists, engineers, and other professionals engaged in research and development activities associated with future space exploration. Other goals include conducting in-field training programs for astronauts, coordinating international meetings of space professionals in Hawaii to design and implement an innovative space research program, and catalyzing aerospace education programs in high schools and colleges located statewide.

Your Committee finds that legislative support is needed to expand and diversify the aerospace industry through the development of PISCES in Hawaii. PISCES holds many potential benefits for the State including diversifying and expanding employment opportunities in scientific and technical fields, and supporting the University of Hawaii as a center of excellence for exploration-supportive education in mathematics, science, and engineering. Further benefits also include expanding tourism opportunities, and establishing Hawaii as a vital resource for NASA and JAXA space exploration planning and implementation.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Business and Economic Development that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 277, and recommends its adoption.