Tom Young, vice-chair of the NRC’s Space Studies Board and chair of an independent review team for the DOD-NOAA-NASA National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS), called on the White House to step in to resolve the future of that troubled program.

During a discussion with Chris Scolese, Acting Administrator of NASA, at the May 13, 2009 SSB meeting, Mr. Young emphasized that the Air Force and NOAA have sharply divergent views on the future of NPOESS that cannot be resolved by those parties. “This program has zero chance unless the White House steps in. I don’t see how these partners can ever reach agreement.”

NPOESS is funded equally by the Air Force and NOAA, with NASA participating in technology development. Its goal is to combine the military and civilian weather satellite programs into a single system, but cost growth and schedule slippage have plagued the program. A decision on whether a single agency should take charge, and if so, which one, is being debated. Mr. Young is a retired Lockheed Martin executive who is often brought in to diagnose troubled space programs and recommend corrective actions.

The Space Studies Board (SSB) of the National Research Council released a new report on May 13 updating planetary protection guidelines for samples that someday may be returned to Earth from Mars. Assessment of Planetary Protection Requirements for Mars Sample Return updates a 1997 SSB report.

The report found that discoveries about Mars since 1997 enhance the possibility that habitable environments once were widespread on Mars and could exist today. At the same time, our understanding of life on Earth in extreme environments has grown.

“A substantial and growing body of evidence shows that life not only is present but also frequently thrives under extreme environmental conditions.”

The report recommends that “samples returned from Mars by spacecraft should be contained and treated as though potentially hazardous until proven otherwise. No uncontained Martian material, including spacecraft surfaces that have been exposed to the martian environment, should be returned to Earth unless sterilized.”

The report makes a number of other findings and recommendations, including that “the public should be informed about all aspects of Mars sample return….”

NASA successfully launched the space shuttle Atlantis on its STS-125 servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope today. In 2004, then-NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe canceled this mission partially due to safety concerns in the wake of the 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident.

He supported the concept of servicing Hubble robotically instead of using astronauts. A 2004 National Research Council report concluded, however, that robotics were not sufficiently advanced for such a complex mission, and astronauts were needed. During his confirmation hearing in April 2005, incoming NASA Administrator Michael Griffin vowed to conduct the mission if it could be done safely.

NASA decided to have a second space shuttle ready to launch on an adjacent launch pad in case Atlantis suffers damage that could imperil the mission and the crew required rescue. The space shuttle Endeavour is on standby to launch if needed.

For continuing coverage of the mission, visit NASA’s website for the STS-125 mission.

The following congressional hearings have been announced for the week of May 11, 2009 which may be of interest. See our calendar for more details. Note: Times and witnesses for congressional hearings are subject to change. Check with the committee for the most up-to-date information.

DOD’s FY2010 Budget Request

Witnesses: Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense and Adm. Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff

House Armed Services Committee, May 13, 10:00 am, 2118 Rayburn

http://armedservices.house.gov

Senate Armed Services Committee, May 14, 9:30 am, 325 Russell

http://armed-services.senate.gov

U.S. Research and Development Budget for FY2010

Witness: John Holdren, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy

House Science and Technology Committee, May 14, 2:00 pm, 2318 Rayburn

http://science.house.gov

Norman Augustine held a teleconference with the media on May 8, 2009 to discuss the upcoming assessment of options for NASA’s human space flight activities that he will lead. The transcript of the press conference on the Human Space Flight Review is available on NASA’s budget website. View PDF

The National Research Council’s Space Studies Board and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board have told NASA and the Department of Energy that it is imperative that production of plutonium-238 be restarted immediately if NASA’s plans for future space missions are to be met. NASA uses Pu-238 fueled devices to power spacecraft that travel too far from the Sun to use solar energy, or that will spend long times on lunar or planetary surfaces where sunlight is not always available.

Radioisotope Power Systems: An Imperative for Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Space Exploration

Norman Augustine (Lockheed Martin, ret.) will lead the White House-ordered independent assessment of options for the future of the U.S. human space flight program. NASA has scheduled a teleconference for May 8, 2009 at 11:30 am with Mr. Augustine to discuss the assessment. Audio will be available on NASA’s website at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

Acting NASA Administrator Christopher Scolese formally announced the selectionn of Mr. Augustine to lead the review in reply to a letter from the President’s Science Adviser, John Holdren. Other members of the blue ribbon panel are yet to be named. The May 7, 2009 letters are posted on NASA’s budget website.

View PDF of letter from Holdren to Scolese requesting the study.

View PDF of letter from Scolese to Holdren naming Augustine as chair of the blue ribbon panel..

The NRC’s Space Studies Board (SSB) and Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) will receive briefings from NASA and other administration and congressional officials on NASA’s FY2010 budget request May 12-14, 2009. The briefings are open to the public and will be held in the Meridian Room at the One Washington Circle hotel, Washington DC.

Tuesday, May 12, ASEB

Jaiwon Shin, Associate Administrator for Aeronautics 9:30-11:30 am

Wednesday, May 13 , ASEB & SSB jointly

Christopher Scolese, Acting NASA Administrator 9:00-10:00 am

John Olson, Exploration Systems Mission Directorate 10:15-11:15 am

David Radzanowski, Space Operations Mission Directorate 11:15 am – 12:15 pm

OMB and OSTP staff 1:15-2:30 pm

Congressional staff 2:45 -4:00 pm

Thursday, May 14, SSB

Charles Gay, Science Mission Directorate 8:30-10:00 am

For further information, contact Carmela Chamberlain (cchamber@nas.edu)

Mary Kicza, NOAA’s Assistant Administrator for Satellite and Information Services (NESDIS), will brief the NRC’s Space Studies Board on the NOAA/NESDIS FY2010 budget request on May 14, 2009 from 10:15-11:15 am. The briefing is open to the public and will be held in the Meridian Room of the One Washington Circle hotel, Washington, D.C. For further information, contact Carmela Chamberlain (cchamber@nas.edu).

President Obama released the details of his FY2010 budget request today, May 7. Together with the budget details, he directed an independent assessment of alternatives for NASA’s human space flight activities after the space shuttle is retired. In a statement, Acting NASA Administrator Christopher Scolese said:

“Along with the budget release, the White House also announced the launch of an independent review of NASA’s human space flight activities. The Review of United States Human SpaceFlight Plans will examine our development programs and suggest possible alternatives. The goal is to provide options that will ensure the nation’s human space flight program remains safe, innovative and affordable in the years following the space shuttle’s retirement. During the review, work on the Constellation Program will continue.

The review team will work closely with NASA and seek input from the Congress, the White House, the public, industry and international partners as it develops these options. The review will be done by a blue-ribbon panel of experts.”