The Nation - News from April 20, 1988

President Reagan took issue with critics of Administration space plans and asked Congress and the American people to “join me in making the long-term investment required to advance U.S. leadership in space. Can we afford to stop our exploration and wait for others to pass us?” Reagan asked in a speech at the annual government-industry dinner in Washington of the Electronic Industries Assn. “The space station is vital to our leadership in space and contributes to our pre-eminence in manned space flight,” the President said. “Some say we can’t afford the space station.” But, he asked, “can we afford to jettison the next generation of technical spin-offs?”