Human Space Flight Plans Committee Meets at KSC

Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee Meeting: KSC

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Panel Wants Deep Space, Not Landings as U.S. Goal, NY Times

"A panel examining the future of the United States' human spaceflight program will suggest that the Obama administration may want to skip the part about landing on other worlds. That could, panel members said Thursday, enable the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to send astronauts to more corners of the solar system more quickly while keeping within a limited budget. But it would also eliminate the possibility of astronauts leaving new iconic footprints on the Moon or Mars for a couple of decades."

NASA panel may propose 'deep space' crewed missions, New Scientist

"Crawley argued that this kind of activity would help pave the way for eventual human missions to the Martian surface. Preparing for such missions requires gaining more experience in operating on the surface of bodies beyond Earth, Crawley said. But it may actually be more critical to gain experience with long-duration space missions far from Earth, which human missions to Mars would require, he said."

Longer Life for the Space Station Is Advised, NY Times

"Members of the government panel reviewing NASA's human spaceflight program said Tuesday that the life of the International Space Station should be extended past its planned demise in 2016."

Congresswoman Kosmas' Statement to the Augustine Committee

"One common responsibility for each of the Working Groups of this Committee is that each is focusing on 'industrial skill base'. Nowhere is that issue more critical than here in Florida. To that end, I urge you to consider offering an option that would establish a program office at KSC to manage the supply chain and logistics for the next generation spacecraft. As the final destination of the vast majority of the components and systems purchased by the Federal Government before departure into space, KSC could lead the way to a more sophisticated procurement mentality - which would reduce operating costs - and a healthier industrial base for NASA, the Department of Defense, and commercial launch activities."