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Congress

Hearing on "Options and Issues for NASA's Human Space Flight Program

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
September 16, 2009

Testimony by Norman Augustine
“In summary, with the existing budget plan it would be reasonable to extend the use of the ISS for five years and to conduct a robust technology development program. The Committee concludes that no rational exploratory program can be funded under the existing funding constraint and that plans for America’s space exploration program would de facto be halted and human operations limited to low earth orbit. With the less constrained budget option, requiring approximately $3B per year in additional funding, a sound exploration program could be conducted. The reason for this seemingly “dead space” between the two budget options is, simplistically stated, that for sixty percent of the needed funds, one cannot go sixty percent of the way to Mars.”
Testimony by Joseph Dyer
“Starting over” would surely and substantially extend the gap in the Nation’s ability to transport humans into space. As it is directly related, I want to share the ASAP’s strongly held position regarding the Shuttle: ASAP does not support extending the shuttle beyond the current manifest. The substantiation of this recommendation is addressed in the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel 2008 Annual Report which I respectfully request be included in the hearing record.
Testimony by Mike Griffin
“It has long been known that some $3+ billion per year will be required to sustain ISS operations past 2015. Failure to plan for this is, and has been, a glaring omission in the nation’s budgetary policy. Thus, sustained funding of the ISS as long as it continues to return value – certainly to 2020 and quite likely beyond – should have been established by the Commission as a non- negotiable point of departure for all other discussions.”
Keith’s note: It is certainly interesting to note that Mike Griffin is now such an ISS fan given the dismissive attitude that he and his inner staff (the “Band of Brothers”) often had for this “albatross” – a term they used in staff meetings. The ISS could not go away soon enough for Mike Griffin. Now he’s a fan.

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.