The Space Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on October 4, 2017 on Powering Exploration: An Update on Radioisotope Production and Lessons Learned from Cassini.  The hearing was based on a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that identified issues affecting the relationship between NASA and the Department of Energy (DOE) on the production of  plutonium-238 (Pu-238) for use on NASA missions.  DOE manages the nation’s nuclear stockpile and produces Pu-238, the fuel for radioisotope thermal generators (RTGs) that provide electricity and heat for NASA planetary exploration missions that travel too far from the Sun to rely on solar power or land on surfaces where sunlight is not always available.  Witnesses were:

• Mr. David Schurr, deputy director, Planetary Sciences Division, NASA
• Ms. Tracey Bishop, deputy assistant secretary for nuclear infrastructure programs, Office of Nuclear Energy, Department of Energy
• Dr. Ralph McNutt, Jr., chief scientist for space science in the space exploration sector, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab
• Ms. Shelby Oakley, director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, Government Accountability Office (GAO)

SpacePolicyOnline.com published a brief synopsis of the GAO report and the hearing on October 4, 2017.

The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held its annual Air Force posture hearing on June 6, 2017.  Witnesses were Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein.  Most of the hearing focused on aircraft and personnel, but there was some discussion of Air Force space programs.   Wilson said the service is requesting a 20 percent increase in space program funding for FY2018, which Sen. Ted Cruz said would raise the total to $7.7 billion.  She also revealed that the next launch of one of the Air Force’s two reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicles (OTVs) will be conducted by SpaceX in August, the first time that information appears to have been made public. SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on June 6, 2017.

The Space, Science and Competitiveness Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held two hearings on further actions Congress could take to assist companies seeking to engage in commercial space activities, especially non-traditional ventures such as placing habitats in Earth orbit or on the Moon, satellite servicing, or asteroid mining.  Witnesses at the April 26, 2017 hearing represented four commercial space companies:  Bigelow Aerospace, Blue Origin, Made in Space, and Galactic Ventures (Virgin Orbit, Virgin Galactic and The Spaceship Company).   Three more companies were represented at the May 23, 2017 hearing:  Space Systems Loral, Moon Express and Planetary Resources.  Also testifying on May 23 were three space law experts (James Dunstan, Mobius Legal Group; Laura Montgomery, Ground Based Space Matters; and Matthew Schaefer, University of Nebraska College of Law).  SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the two hearings on May 30, 2017.

The Space Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on March 8, 2017 on “Regulating Space: Innovation, Liberty, and International Obligations.”   The hearing centered on U.S. obligations under Article VI of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty to authorize and continually supervise the activities of non-governmental entities, like companies.   The only agreement that emerged from the hearing is that if there is to be any government regulation, it should have a light touch so that creativity and innovation are not stifled.   SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on March 13.   Witnesses were:

• Laura Montgomery, Attorney and Sole Proprietor, Ground Based Space Matters, LLC (and former Manager, Space Law Branch, FAA)
• Eli Dourado, Senior Research Fellow and Director, Technology Policy Program, Mercatus Center, George Mason University
• Doug Loverro, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, DOD
• Dennis Burnett, Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Law
• Henry Hogue, Specialist in American National Government, Congressional Research Service

The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on February 16, 2017 to discuss NASA’s Past, Present, and Future.  The focus of the hearing was NASA’s human spaceflight program, although other parts of its portfolio — space technology, aeronautics, and space and earth science — were also discussed.  SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on February 20, 2017.  Witnesses were:

• Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, former Apollo 17 astronaut and former U.S. Senator
• Lt. Gen. Tom Stafford (Ret.), former Gemini and Apollo astronaut
• Ellen Stofan, former NASA Chief Scientist
• Tom Young , former director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and former President and COO of Martin Marietta Corp and Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin (after Martin Marietta and Lockheed merged)

The subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee held a hearing on July 13, 2016 entitled “NASA At a Crossroads: Reasserting American Leadership in Space Exploration.”   Chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the main theme was how to avoid a disruption in the human spaceflight program when a new President takes office in 2017 as occurred when President Obama cancelled the Constellation program.   SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on July 24, 2016.  Witnesses were:

• Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations
• Mary Lynne Dittmar, Executive Director, Coalition for Deep Space Exploration
• Mike Gold, Vice President of Washington Operations, SSL (formerly Space Systems Loral)
• Mark Sirangelo, Vice President, Space Systems Group, Sierra Nevada Corporation
• Dan Dumbacher, Professor of Engineering Practice, Purdue University (formerly NASA deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development)

Two subcommittees of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing on July 12, 2016 on “Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Astrobiology.”   Much of the hearing focused on the 2010 Decadal Survey for astronomy and astrophysics conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine and the next one that is now being planned.  SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on July 12.   Witnesses were:

• Paul Hertz, Director, Astrophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA
• Jim Ulvestad, Director, Division on Astronomical Sciences, NSF
• Angela Olinto, Chair, Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee (AAAC) and Homer J. Livingston Professor, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago
• Shelley Wright, Breakthrough Listen Advisory Committee member; Assistant Professor, UC San Diego; Member, Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, UC San Diego
• Caroline Jones, President, American Astronomical Society and Senior Astrophysicist, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

The Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee held a rare hearing on commercial space launch issues on June 22, 2016.   Most of the issues are under the jurisdiction of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, but T&I oversees the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a whole, so has some oversight interest.   SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on June 24.  Witnesses were:

• George Nield, Associate Administrator. FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST)
• Gerald Dillingham,
  Government Accountability Office (GAO);
• Mike Gold, chairman of the FAA’s
  Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC);
• Michael
  Lopez-Alegria, COMSTAC Vice Chair; and
• Taber MacCallum, World View
  Enterprises