NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden will announce today where the agency will send the four remaining space shuttle orbiters as they are retired. The announcement will be made as part of a commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the first flight of the space shuttle at Kennedy Space Center, FL beginning at 1:00 pm EDT. The event will air live on NASA TV, and a media teleconference will be held at 3:00 pm EDT. The teleconference will be streamed live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

Six orbiters were built. Two were destroyed in accidents that claimed the lives of their crews: Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. One was built as an atmospheric test flight vehicle and was not designed for space flight. That orbiter, Enterprise, has been on display at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center for several years, but many expect that the museum would prefer to display one that has flown in space, so is in the running for one of the other three. Those three — Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis — are prizes that many museums and NASA centers across the country are anxious to claim.

The suspense will be over this afternoon.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) formally submitted a presentation to Congress today in which it generally agreed with the methods NASA is using to determine if the International Space Station (ISS) can last until 2020, including the need for spares.

With regard to the spares needed to continue operations, GAO compared NASA’s plans with those of the National Science Foundation (NSF) for supporting Antarctic operations and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administraiton’s (NOAA’s) operations of the Aquarius Undersea Laboratory.

“NASA’s assessment of the essential spares necessary … appears to be supported by sufficient, accurate and relevant underlying data,” GAO said. It added, however, that NASA’s estimates are “senstive” to assumptions about the reliability of Orbital Replacement Units (ORUs).

As for NASA’s assessments of the long term viability of ISS primary structures — the modules and trusses to which solar panels are attached — GAO found that those assessments are ongoing and all the results are not yet available. It noted that NASA is not assessing the viability of modules provided by international partners, other than those that are owned by NASA. For example, Russia built the Zarya (FGB) module, but NASA paid for it, thus it is owned by NASA even though it was provided by a partner.

The report was required by the 2010 NASA Authorization Act.

Today is the 50th anniversary of humanity breaking the bonds of Earth and reaching Earth orbit for the first time. Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space on April 12, 1961, opening a new era of exploration. It is also the 30th anniversary of the first flight of the U.S. space shuttle.

As these anniversaries are commemorated, Congress released the text of a bill to fund NASA and the rest of the government through the end of fiscal year 2011 — a “full year” Continuing Resolution (CR). Included are funds and specific direction to NASA to build a new heavy lift launch vehicle (HLLV) with a lift capability of “no less than 130 tons” — a vehicle that would enable astronauts to venture deep into space, possibly someday to Mars.

The debate over the future of the U.S. human spaceflight program has been hard fought since President Obama decided to terminate the Constellation program initiated under President George W. Bush that was to take astronauts back to the Moon by 2020 and someday to Mars. Congressional concern that NASA is not following congressional direction in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act to build an HLLV expeditiously apparently led to the detailed language in this comnpromise version of a full year CR. Even with this language, however, the debate may not be over if for no other reason than funding.

The total amount of funding for NASA in the bill is $18.485 billion, $239 million less than the agency received in FY2010, and $515 million less than the President requested for FY2011. Congress directed NASA to build a new HLLV (or Space Launch System) and a new Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle to go with it in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. The law authorizes slightly less funding for those programs in FY2011 than is included in the full year CR. Strictly speaking, appropriations are not supposed to exceed authorizations, but just about anything is possible in Congress as long as no one raises a point of order in objection.

Both Congress and the Obama White House want a strong U.S. human spaceflight program. The difference is between how much to rely on the commercial sector versus the government, and the specifics of the new HLLV. NASA wants to start small with a vehicle capable of taking perhaps 70 tons to low Earth orbit (LEO) and evolve it over time into a more capable vehicle. Congress wants a 130 ton vehiicle capable of taking astronauts beyond LEO — to the moon, asteroids, or Mars. The debate over the launch vehicle’s capability — and thus its design –continues. The language in this CR specifies the vehicle must be 130 tons, but it does not say that must be its “initial” capability, leaving room for interpretation.

What is quite clear, however, is that Congress continues to have bold aspirations for the human spaceflight program, even if the budget is not sufficiently robust to achieve such goals in the near future.

Cooperating with China in space activities is precluded, however. The bill prohibits NASA and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from spending any funds to discuss or arrange space cooperation with China unless specifically authorized to do so by Congress. Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee that oversees NASA, is a staunch opponent of space cooperation with China because of human rights abuses and political issues. He has made his position quite clear in many forums over many years, most recently at a March 3, 2011 hearing on the NASA budget. The “no China” language was also part of a previous version of a full year CR (H.R. 1) that failed to pass the Senate.

Congressional appropriators missed a midnight deadline to file the text of the Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government for the rest of FY2011, but sometime overnight it was filed. The text is available on the website of the House Rules Committee. A vote had been expected on Wednesday, but could slip to Thursday if the Republican leadership wants to keep to its vow to give members three days to review any bill before it is brought to the floor.

UPDATE: Information from the media teleconference has been added.

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden announced today that the four remaining space shuttle orbiters would be retired to the following locations:

• Enterprise (a test vehicle that never flew in space) to New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
• Endeavour to California Science Center in Los Angeles
• Atlantis to Kennedy Space Center, FL
• Discovery to the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC

During a subsequent media teleconference, Olga Dominguez, NASA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Strategic Infrastructure, repeatedly stressed that the primary decision factors were to ensure the “best value to the American public.” She said that she was in charge of the process and Administrator Bolden accepted her recommendations, which were based on a process that complied with congressional requirements in the 2008 and 2010 NASA Authorization Acts. Making the orbiters accessible to the most people, domestic and international, was a key objective.

Ms. Dominquez was quizzed in particular by reporters from the center of the country as to why coastal locations were chosen. A Houston reporter stressed that Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States; a Chicago reporter that Chicago is the third largest city; and an Ohio reporter that her city is within a one-day’s drive of 61 percent of the American population. Ms. Rodriguez responded in turn that the objective was maximizing access to the most people and she wished there were more orbiters to allocate, but other significant shuttle artifacts would be allocated to museums across the country.

A Houston reporter asked what she would say to those who are calling for a congressional investigation into the selection process and Ms. Rodriguez reiterated that it was done in conformance with the law. In response to a different question, she said that she had been “isolated” from political pressure. Administrator Bolden dealt with all of that, she said.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Administrator Bolden would be on the teleconference.

UPDATE: The story has been updated to add information about objections from the Texas congressional delegation, and two bills that have been introduced.

During a media teleconference this afternoon, NASA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Strategic Infrastructure, Olga Dominguez, said that she had been “isolated” from political pressure as the lead person in recommending to NASA Administrator Bolden the disposition of the four space shuttle orbiters. That may change. Five members of the Ohio congressional delegation are calling for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation of how the locations — three on the east coast, one on the west coast, none in the center of the country — were chosen.

Senator Sherrod Brown (D – OH) blasted the decision not to pick Ohio’s National Air Force Museum in Dayton. “NASA ignored the intent of Congress … to consider regional diversity when determining shuttle locations,” he said in a press statement.

In a letter to the head of GAO, Brown and four Ohio Representatives — Marcy Kaptur, Michael Turner, Steve Austria, and Steve LaTourette –asked for a “review of the policies and practices” of NASA and the Smithsonian Institution’s “disposition of the shuttle program related property.” The letter cites language in the 2008 and 2010 NASA Authorization Acts stipulating how the process was to be carried out. During the media teleconference, Ms. Rodriguez emphasized that the process did, indeed, comply with those laws.

NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) near Houston also was not one of the winners. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) expressed “deep disappointment” and noted that the law directed NASA to give priority to locations with strong historical ties to NASA. “It is unthinkable that the home of human space flight would not represent the ideal home for a retired orbiter,” she said. Mike Coats, Director of JSC and a former astronaut, said that he was “personally disappointed,” but “Regardless of today’s outcome, JSC … will continue to share the excitement of human spaceflight for decades to come.”

Seventeen members of the Texas delegation in the House wrote a letter to Mr. Bolden asking pointed questions about the decision to move Enterprise to the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space museum in New York City. The upshot was that if the questions are not answered satisfactorily, they will “do everything in our power in Congress, including legislation to prevent the transfer” of the Enterprise to New York, which, as they stress, is only “224 miles” from the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center where it is currently displayed. They want it transferred to Houston, instead.

Rep. Shiela Jackson-Lee (D-TX) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) each introduced legislation last week regarding the disposition of the space shuttles, the texts of which are not yet available. Rep. Chaffetz introduced H.R. 1536 on April 14, and Rep. Jackson-Lee introduced H.R. 1590 on April 15.

The following events may be of interest in the week ahead. For more information, check our calendar on the right menu or click the links below. Times and dates for congressional hearings are subject to change. Check the relevant committee’s website for up to date information.

During the Week

Congress is expected to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) for the remainder of FY2011 based on the deal brokered at the last minute on Friday. A one-week stop-gap CR is funding the government through April 15.

Monday, April 11

• Senate Appropriations CJS subcommittee hearing on NASA FY2012 budget request, 192 Dirksen, 4:00 pm EDT

Monday-Thursday, April 11-14

• Space Foundation National Space Symposium, Colorado Springs, CO

Tuesday-Thursday, April 12-14

• National Research Council (NRC) Heliophysics Decadal Survey Steering Committee, Keck Center, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Washington DC. Some sessions of this meeting may be closed.

Wednesday, April 13

• Senate Commerce Committee subcommittee hearing on NOAA’s FY2012 budget request, 253 Russell Senate Office Building, 2:30 pm EDT (as listed in National Journal’s Daybook, but not yet on the committee’s website)

Thursday-Friday, April 14-15

• NASA Advisory Council Heliophysics Subcommittee, room 5H45, NASA Headquarters, Washington DC, 9:00 am – 5:30 pm EDT on April 14 and 9:00 am – 1:00 pm EDT on April 15

The latest rumors in Washington are that a deal has been reached on the FY2011 budget, but not in time to prevent a shutdow without another very short term continuing resolution (CR).

Best bet, it seems, is that a CR for a couple of days will be passed to provide time for legislative language to be drafted to reflect reported agreement to $39 billion of cuts from current FY2010 spending levels. Policy disagreements about federal funding for Planned Parenthood and over Environmental Protection Agency regulations that have stymied agreement would be set aside.

Democrats and Republicans reached agreement on a budget for the rest of FY2011 literally at the 11th hour, averting a government shutdown that would have occurred at midnight Friday.

President Obama made a staement at 11:04 pm EDT as the House and Senate passed another short term Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government for one more week (until April 15) while the terms of the agreement can be put into formal legislative language and enacted. This is not the same short-term CR that the House passed Thursday. This one would cut only $2 billion, instead of $12 billion, in exchange for the week-long extension. None of the $2 billion appears to be from NASA or NOAA space programs.

The specifics of the overall deal that was reached for the remaining six months of FY2011 have not been released, but it cuts $37.7 billion from current spending (at FY2010 levels) according to The Hill newspaper. The two sides had been fighting over a $33 billion cut (Democrats) versus $40 billion cut (Republicans). Just as importantly, Republicans agreed not to include policy provisions (“riders”) that would have, for example, prohibited federal funding for Planned Parenthood and prevented the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing certain regulations.

With a government shutdown right around the corner if Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on some sort of funding measure, both parties are blaming the other and continuing the high-stakes game.

The current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires at midnight on Friday. If Congress does not pass some sort of appropriations bill before then, major portions of the government will have to stop work. Both sides say that is no way to run a government, but each is playing hardball.

At this moment, it appears that only $7 billion in cuts separate the two camps from agreeing on a new CR that would fund the government for the rest of FY2011. The Republicans want to cut $40 billion from current FY2010 spending levels (or $80 billion from the FY2011 request), while the Democrats want to cut $33 billion (or $73 billion from the FY2011 request). Exactly what would be cut has not yet been determined. They are just trying to agree on the total budget figure at this point.

Another meeting is planned at the White House tonight with the President, Vice President, and congressional negotiators. Previous meetings with and without the White House participating have not been successful in reaching closure.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are offering another short-term CR that would fund the Pentagon for the rest of FY2011, but all other government agencies for only one more week in exchange for Democrats agreeing to $12 billion more in cuts to the FY2010 spending level. Two previous short-term CR’s have cut a total of $10 billion already.

In the new short-term CR, NASA’s Space Operations account would be cut by $99 million, and the Construction and Environmental Compliance & Remediation account by $40 million. It does not remove the language that prevents NASA from cancelling the Constellation program, but does remove language specifying how much of the money provided for Space Operations can be spent on each of the three elements of that account (space shuttle, International Space Station, and Space and Flight Support), giving NASA more flexibility in how to spend the total for that account.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has signaled that the Senate would not pass such a bill, but the latest reports are that the House will pass it tomorrow anyway so House Republicans then can blame Senate Democrats if the government shuts down at midnight Friday.