Space Policy Events for the Weeks of August 5-18, 2013
It’s vacation time almost everywhere, so there are few space policy-related events coming up. There are some, though, and we’ve combined the next two weeks in the list below. Congress …
McCarthy Introduces SOARS Act to Streamline Commercial Spaceflight Regs
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced a bill yesterday to streamline the regulatory process for commercial suborbital and orbital spaceflight. The Suborbital and Orbital Advancement and Regulatory Streamlining (SOARS) Act, H.R. 3038, is …
Kathy Sullivan Nominated as NOAA Administrator
Former astronaut Kathy Sullivan was nominated by President Obama yesterday to become Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and the new administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration …
T-HUD Lands With a Thud in the Senate, Too
A day after the House pulled its version of the Transportation-HUD (T-HUD) appropriations bill from the floor, the Senate also threw in the towel. After debating the bill for more …
Former NASA Chief Scientist To Be New NSF Director
President Obama nominated France Cordova to be the next Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) today. Cordova was NASA’s Chief Scientist from 1993-1996. Cordova, an astrophysicist, has an impressive resume …
House Republican Leaders Give Up on T-HUD Appropriations For Now, Lacking Votes
Republican leaders in the House postponed final consideration of the Transportation-HUD (T-HUD) appropriations bill today when it became clear they did not have the votes to pass it. The bill, which …
Senate Commerce Committee Clears 2013 NASA Authorization Bill
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee cleared its version of the 2013 NASA Authorization bill today on a party-line vote. Several non-controversial Democratic amendments were adopted by voice vote. One Republican …
Senate Subcommittee Approves FY2014 Defense Approps Bill
The Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee approved its version of the FY2014 defense appropriations bill this morning. The bill would fund DOD’s base budget at $516.4 billion plus $77.8 billion for …
Wheeler Nomination For FCC Chairman Clears Committee – UPDATE
UPDATE, August 2, 2013: The White House nominated Mike O’Rielly to fll the vacant Republican seat on the Commission late yesterday. If confirmed, he will serve out the unexpired term …
GAO: DOD Did Not Perform Required Assessment Before Cancelling PTSS
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) told Congress last week that DOD’s decision to terminate the Precision Tracking Satellite System (PTSS) was not based on an evaluation of alternatives that was required …