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Statement of
Dr. Sally K. Ride

before the

Commitee on Commerce, Science and Transportation

March 8, 1989

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Commitee:

I appreciate the invitation to participate in this hearing on Mission to Planet Earth. In 1987, while sill at NASA, I directed an internal study on possible initiatives for the US space program. Mission to Planet Earth was one of those initiatives, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss it today. I would like to make it clear that I am here to present my personal views and not those of any organization. 

This Commitee has recognized and documented the importance of Global Change, and has devoted hearings to both the broad topic and some of the more specific issues such as ozone depletion and greenhouse warming. Mission to Planet Earth is an initiative to gather and analyze the data required to understand the forces of global change and the implications for our planet and for ourselves. 

The key point that I would like to make at this hearing is that the study of global change requires a global perspective. In situ measurements are important, but they are not sufficient. The study of global change requires global observations over long timescales. Our space program enables us to make those observations. Without

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