In the wake of the
Soviet Sputnik program in the late 1950s, Congress created the
Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration on 5 March 1958, chaired by majority leader
John William McCormack, on the advice of National Defense Analyst
Eilene Galloway. This select committee drafted the
National Aeronautics and Space Act that created the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A staff report of the committee, the
Space Handbook: Astronautics and its Applications, provided non-technical information about spaceflight to U.S. policy makers. The committee also chartered the permanent
House Committee on Science and Astronautics, which officially began on January 3, 1959, and was the first new standing committee established in the House since 1946. The name was changed in 1974 to the
House Committee on Science and Technology. The name was changed again in 1987 to the
House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. After the
Republican Party gained a majority in Congress in 1994, the name of the committee was changed to the
House Committee on Science. With the return of control to the
Democrats in 2007, the committee's name was changed back to the
House Committee on Science and Technology. During the 112th Congress, which was in session from 2011–2013, committee chair Ralph Hall added "Space" back into the committee's name: "The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology" – a nod to the committee's history, broad jurisdiction, and the importance of space exploration in maintaining American innovation and competitiveness. == Members, 119th Congress ==