James Cameron has penned a glowing endorsement of President Obama's NASA budget and the space agency's future plans.
In a Washington Post guest column, the 'Avatar' writer-director supports NASA's decision to rely on private industry for spacecraft to transport astronauts.
Cameron:...The president and NASA have crafted a bold plan that truly makes possible this nation's dreams for space. Their plan calls for the full embrace of commercial solutions for transporting astronauts to low Earth orbit after the space shuttle is retired this year. This frees NASA to do what it does best: deep space exploration, both robotic and human...
Cameron, who characterizes himself as a dreamer, argues that on the most basic level, it's dreams (and middle-class taxpayers) that power U.S. space discoveries and travel--not rocket fuel.
What do rockets burn for fuel? Money. Money that is contributed by working families who have mortgages and children who need braces. And why do the American people support our efforts in space? Because they still believe, to some extent or another, in that shining dream of exploring other worlds. So it could be said that rockets really run on dreams.
Cameron served on NASA's Advisory Council from 2003-2005. 'Avatar,' his latest film is up for nine Oscars.