UPDATE 2: Events of Interest: Week of February 14-18, 2011

UPDATE 2: Minutes before it was scheduled to start, NASA rescheduled the Stardust-NExT press conference for today (Tuesday) until 12:30 pm PST (3:30 pm EST).

UPDATE: A link has been added to the webcast of the OSTP budget briefing at 1:30 today (Monday). Also, NASA plans to post its budget on its website at 1:30 pm today.

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

During the Week

The House is expected to take up the latest FY2011 Continuing Resolution (H.R. 1) this week. See our fact sheet for the budget numbers it recommends for NASA. Amendments to cut the federal budget more deeply are expected during floor debate.

Monday, February 14

• Happy Valentine’s Day!!
• Today is “Budget Day.” The President will submit his FY2012 budget request to Congress. The budget request should be available on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) website by 10:30 am, possibly earlier. The NASA budget should be on its website at 1:30. (Update: 1:30 is the new time for when NASA plans to post its budget)
  • OMB Director, Jacob Lew, will have a press conference at 12:30 pm.
  • Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren will have a press conference at 1:30 pm. The event will be webcast at http://www.aaas.org/go/ostp
  • NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden will have a press conference at 2:00 pm at the NASA auditorium (watch on NASA TV). Associate Administrators will have subsequent teleconferences as follows: Space Operations, 3:30 pm, Exploration Systems, 4:15 pm, Office of Chief Technologist, 5:00 pm, Aeronautics, 5:45 pm, Science, 6:30 pm.
  • Defense Secretary Bob Gates will have a press conference at 2:00 pm. Service secretaries will hold subsequent briefings at the Pentagon. The Air Force briefing is at 4:45 pm.
  • The National Science Foundation will have a press briefing at 3:00 pm at NSF Headquarters in Arlington, VA
• NASA’s Stardust-NExT mission will encounter comet Tempel 1 at 11:37 pm EST (8:37 pm PST). Watch on NASA TV.

Tuesday, February 15

• Stardust-NExT press conference, 3:30 pm EST (12:30 pm PST) at JPL
• FAA COMSTAC teleconference, 1:30 pm EST

Wednesday, February 16

• House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing on FAA’s research and development programs (not space-related, but may be of interest anyway), 10:00 am, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building
• House Armed Services Committee hearing on DOD’s FY2012 budget request, 10:00 am, 2118 Rayburn House Office Building
• CSIS meeting on National Security Space Strategy, 1800 K Street, NW, Washington, DC, 10:30 -11:30 am EST

Wednesday-Thursday, February 16-17

• NAC Astrophysics Subcommittee (of the Science Committee), NASA Headquarters, Washington DC
  • Wednesday, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm EST, room 3H46
  • Thursday, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm EST, room 7H45

Thursday, February 17

• Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the defense budget request for FY2012, 9:30 am, Dirksen Senate Office Building room SD-G50
• House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing on the FY2012 budget request for research and development, 10:00 am, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building
• FAA COMSTAC Space Transportation Operations Working Group telecon, 11:00 am EST, virtual
• House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Air Force’s FY2012 budget request, 1:00 pm, 2118 Rayburn House Office Building