Rep. Bob Filner, (D-Calif.), head of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, told attendees at AFA’s annual Air & Space Conference on Sept. 24 that soon after he became chairman, “we were hit by the Walter Reed [military hospital] scandal.” In contrast to public assumptions that the troops were being cared for, declared Filner, “what these stories showed, and what Walter Reed showed, is that we have a health care system that is strained to the breaking point.” He noted that the nation still has older veterans from earlier wars with “tremendous needs,” but he said that now “we have all these new needs.” He said that post-traumatic stress disorder “is rampant,” and asserted, “We are not prepared for this.” Filner said that Congress had added more than $13 billion over the last seven months” to serve the health care needs of injured returning troops. Now, Filner says, his job is to see that the money is spent appropriately.
Celebrating 100 Years of Liquid-Fueled Rockets
March 11, 2026
March 16, 2026, marks 100 years since Dr. Robert H. Goddard launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket. Over the past century, new and ever more capable liquid-fueled rockets have literally propelled humanity into space. Why liquid-fueled rockets?