NASA will host a roundtable discussion on “Apollo: History and Legacy” at 1:00 pm on July 16 in the auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street, S.W., Washington. D.C. The roundtable is open to the media and the public. If you can’t make it there in person, it will be broadcast live on NASA TV (http://www.nasa.gov/ntv).
A complete list of NASA’s events commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing is available here.
NASA and NSF officials told the steering committee for the National Research Council’s (NRC’s) new decadal survey on planetary sciences about their expectations for the study during the committee’s kickoff meeting on July 6. The committee is chaired by Steve Squyres, perhaps best known as the “father” of the two rovers now on the surface of Mars — Spirit and Opportunity. The meeting continues on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Keck Center (500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington. DC). See the agenda for when the meeting is open to the public.
During the open sessions on Monday, NASA and NSF officials briefed the committee about the status of their respective planetary science programs and the committee’s task. Budget numbers figured prominently in the NASA presentations. The message from Ed Weiler, NASA Associate Administrator for Science, was crystal clear — NASA’s planetary science budget has been cut in half over the past 4-5 years and there is too much program for the budget. He is seeking the committee’s advice on the top priorities with the admonition that if the committee wants to add anything it must be prepared to also recommend what should be canceled to pay for it. Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Sciences Division, urged the committee to wait for the FY2011 budget submission for budget numbers to guide their deliberations. Dr. Green believes that the FY2011 budget will better reflect Obama Administration priorities for NASA funding than the FY2010 budget now under consideration.
Dr. Weiler’s Powerpoint slides were not immediately available. Click on the presentation titles below for the slides from the other speakers.
Jim Green and Doug McCuistion, NASA Planetary Sciences Division
NASA’s Perspective on Charge to the Decadal Survey Committee
Overview of NASA Planetary Science Program
Overview of NASA’s Mars Program
Nigel Sharp, NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences
NSF’s Planetary Science Activities
Gregg Vane of JPL also gave a presentation on a JPL-proposed nomenclature for “Concept Maturity Levels” (CMLs) that could be used in parallel with the widely used Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) to designate where a particular planetary mission concept falls on a scale of maturity. His presentation is available here.
The U.S. civil space program should serve key national objectives and be guided by six strategic goals, according to a new report from the National Research Council (NRC). Those goals are:
The committee stated that “All six goals serve the national interest, and steady progress towards achieving each of them will be a fundamental measure of the success of America’s space program.”
The study, America’s Future in Space: Aligning the Civil Space Program with National Needs, was funded internally by the National Academies, of which the NRC is part. The study committee was chaired by Gen. Lester Lyles (USAF, Ret.). Dr. Lennard Fisk, past chair of the NRC’s Space Studies Board, and Ray Colladay, chair of the NRC’s Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board, were vice-chairs.
The House Science and Technology Committee is planning a hearing on July 16 at 10:00 am where Gen. Lyles and others will testify.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has scheduled a markup of several non-space related bills to precede the July 8 nomination hearing that will include Charlie Bolden and Lori Garver. The markup is scheduled for 2:00, and the nomination hearing for 2:10. Both are in 253 Russell Senate Office Building. As noted earlier, the nomination hearing is for Charlie, Lori and three other nominess unrelated to NASA.
Note: Times and witnesses for congressional hearings are subject to change. Check with the committee for the most up-to-date information: http://commerce.senate.gov/public/
The following events next week may be of interest. Note: Dates and times for congressional hearings are subject to change. Check with the relevant committee for the most up-to-date information.
July 6-8 Space Studies Board, Planetary Science Decadal Kickoff Meeting Room 100, Keck Center, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. See the agenda for information on which sessions are open to the public.
July 8 Nomination Hearing for Charlie Bolden and Lori Garver to be Administrator and Deputy Administrator of NASA. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. 2:10 pm (following committee executive session to mark up non-space related legislation). 253 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C.
According to Congress Daily (subscription required), Senate floor action on the FY2010 DOD authorization bill and House floor action on the FY2010 Intelligence authorization bill (H.R. 2701) is possible sometime this week.
Anatoly Zak has posted an interesting article on his website, RussianSpaceWeb.com, explaining Russia’s plans for a successor to the International Space Station — OPSEK, an “orbital assembly workshop.” Russian space agency head Gen. Anatoly Perminov discussed this concept in his conversation with the Augustine panel on June 17.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) has won his case that NASA should use funding in the stimulus bill to support the existing Ares/Orion program instead of promoting commercial options for human spaceflight. The Ares launch vehicle and the Orion spacecraft are part of NASA’s Constellation program.
At the May 21, 2009 Senate Appropriations hearing on NASA’s budget, Sen. Shelby left no doubt about his skepticism that commercial companies, notably SpaceX, will succeed in developing a human spaceflight capability in the near future (read our hearing summary). He pointedly asked Acting NASA Administrator Chris Scolese about NASA’s plans to allocate $150 million of the $400 million designated in the stimulus bill for the Constellation program to facilitate commercial development of spacecraft to deliver crew and cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) rather than spending all $400 million on NASA’s own Ares I launch vehicle and the Orion spacecraft. Sen. Shelby represents Alabama, home of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, which has a significant role in the Ares/Orion program. Congress gave NASA $1 billion in the stimulus bill, of which $400 million was allocated to the Constellation program, which includes both Ares/Orion and the commercial crew/cargo initiative.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Sen. Shelby threatened to delay the confirmations of Charlie Bolden and Lori Garver to be Administrator and Deputy Administrator of NASA unless NASA and the White House agreed that $100 million of the $150 million be reallocated back to Ares/Orion. The newspaper, located in Orlando, FL, a short distance from Cape Canaveral and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), highlighted the potential negative impact on Cape Canaveral of Sen. Shelby’s actions. SpaceX is planning to launch its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and its Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral. Dragon is being designed to carry either crew or cargo to and from ISS.
The space shuttle Endeavour’s hydrogen leak has been fixed, and the knob that was stuck in Atlantis’ cockpit window is freed. A tanking test conducted on Endeavour by NASA on July 1 revealed no leaks, and the agency has scheduled Endeavour’s STS-127 launch for July 11 at 7:39 pm EDT.
Meanwhile, technicians were able to remove the work light attachment knob that was stuck in a cockpit window on Atlantis. According to nasaspaceflightnow.com, success was achieved by a combination of pressurizing the cabin, shrinking the knob using dry ice, and using “hand pressure.” NASA still must evaluate whether the window pane must be replaced.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transporation Committee has formally scheduled the nomination hearing for Charlie Bolden and Lori Garver to take the top positions at NASA for July 8 at 2:00 pm in 253 Russell Senate Office Building. Three other nominees unrelated to NASA will be considered at the same hearing. NOTE: dates and times for congressional hearings are subject to change. Check with the committee for the most up-to-date information: http://commerce.senate.gov/public/.
Our three Fact Sheets that track action in Congress on major space-related legislation, including NASA’s FY2010 budget request and DOD’s request for space-related programs have been updated to reflect all the recent activity. Check the list of all our fact sheets on our left menu (“Our Fact Sheets and Reports”), or click on the titles below for the three that track legislative activity:
Major Space-Related Legislation in the 111th Congress: A Checklist
FY2010 Funding for Selected DOD Space Programs