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President's Report
"Houston, we have a problem!" That is what many of us may have exclaimed after we saw the tourism budget and Sunflower Summer funding slashed by the Kansas House. But do you remember where the iconic phrase came from?
The Apollo 13 mission in 1970 aimed to land on the moon. An oxygen tank explosion crippled the spacecraft, jeopardizing the astronauts' lives. "Houston, we've had a problem here," said astronaut Jack Swigart to Mission Control.
The astronauts and NASA engineers faced the challenge of bringing the crew home safely with limited resources. Through ingenuity, problem-solving, and teamwork, they managed to rig repairs and navigate the damaged spacecraft. After a harrowing journey, the Apollo 13 crew safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.
Though things looked bleak, the crew turned it around through problem-solving and teamwork. They rolled up their sleeves and didn’t give up. While tourism isn’t a life-or-death situation, the industry rallied against the budget cuts in a similar way. You didn’t give up, and after contacting your Legislators, the Senate restored the tourism budget and increased Sunflower Summer funding to $3 million. As of this writing, the final budget is being decided by a Conference Committee. Advocacy works when we all pull together to make our voices heard.
And if you want to learn more about Apollo 13, head to the Cosmosphere International SciEd Center & Space Museum in Hutchinson—home to the Apollo 13 Command Module that brought the astronauts back to Earth.
Alan Carr
with Visit Kansas City Kansas
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