John Lewis Saved the Space Station

In 1993, I had been on the job for about one year as the new NASA Administrator fighting for the survival of America’s Human Spaceflight Program.

We presently have a burgeoning space industry of NASA and private sector astronauts who are launched into orbit. But back in the early 1990s, Human Spaceflight in America was on the brink of extinction. The person who helped save it was the late civil rights hero, Congressman John Lewis.

It is undoubtable that John Lewis had a remarkable career as a civil rights leader, activist, and politician. But, what I remember most about him is his faith.

John Lewis with Whitney Young, Roy Wilkins, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other with Press after meeting with U.S. President John Kennedy after March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. John Lewis was part of the “Big Six” in D.C. when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The march, which drew an estimated 250,000 people to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was one of the largest political rallies in U.S. history.

In 1981, John Lewis was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Georgia's 5th congressional district, becoming the second African American from Georgia to serve in Congress since Reconstruction. In 1993, by the time we met, John Lewis had become a seasoned Representative in the job for over ten years.

When we first crossed paths, I was a newbie Administrator of NASA fighting to keep Human Spaceflight alive in America. There was talk in Washington about terminating funding for Human Spaceflight which included Space Station Freedom (now known as the International Space Station).

In 1993, for the second time, the Space Station Freedom was facing an amendment by a young Representative named Tim Roemer (we were definitely sparring partners then but are friends now) to effectively be eliminated. For those who have ever been involved in the Congressional voting process, you know just how excruciatingly difficult, almost near impossible it is to revive a program once it has been voted in favor for cancellation. I knew the support from the White House would not be as strong if funding for the Space Station died once more in Congress. The way I saw it, if Space Station Freedom was voted to be canceled, I was sure it would be gone for good and thereafter it would be the Shuttle and America would be on our way to ending Human Spaceflight altogether.

In June of that year, when the time came for the Roemer Amendment to be up for vote with the House of Representatives, I truly believed I was in a battle fighting for the survival of Human Spaceflight in America.

The vote was 215 to 215. “A dead tie,” he said.

Then Jeff and I saw John Lewis come out of the elevator and Jeff said, “Dan, here comes John Lewis. Jump in front of him!” He shoved me in front of the Honorable Representative John Lewis. I took a deep breath and said,

“Congressman Lewis, the future of the space program depends on you.”

He broke out laughing.

I told him, “The space program is so important to all Americans. It’s inspirational. All American children should be inspired by the program and excel in life. The nation is counting on you. How will you vote?”

Lewis looked at me with a mysterious smile and replied,

“I ain’t telling you.”

My heart sank as he disappeared into the chamber.

A few minutes later, Jeff Lawrence, who was watching the vote board, yelled: “John Lewis cast the deciding vote!”

The final vote: 216-215.

John Lewis had tipped it past the tie, saving the Space Station program and giving hope to American Human Spaceflight.

Later that same year, on September 29, 1993, during a speech he gave on the floor of the House of Representatives, advocating for continued funding for the Space Station program, he said,

“I still believe, as do the majority of the American people, that it is America’s destiny to explore space. Not for the cold war reasoning of proving we are the greatest Nation on Earth, but because we are the greatest Nation on Earth. We became great by dreaming and pursuing that dream. As soon as we lose the ability to dream and reach for the stars we cease to be great.”

He is my first visionary of the month, because above all things, he believed that all dreams, and the pursuit thereof, were worth a good fight. The good, and necessary, kind of trouble.

What I remember most about John Lewis is his unwavering faith. In justice and in the future of America. In the toughest of times and when many did not have it.

February 21 is the Honorable John Lewis’s birthday. As we celebrate what would have been John Lewis's 82nd birthday, we honor his legacy and his contributions to American society. John Lewis was a hero, a visionary, and a true champion of justice and equality. His life has been dedicated to the future of Americans through his sacrifices made during the civil rights movement and his contributions made after that.?

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