Sizzle, Sparkle, Salmon, and Tang at NASA Budget Markup
Markup FY 2016 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropropriations Bill (NASA)
“National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – NASA is funded at $18.5 billion in the bill, $519 million above the 2015 enacted level.”
Keith’s note: The bill passed out of the House Appropriations subcommittee to the full committee yesterday with ease. No date yet announced for further action. But, as you can see below, there was a lot of silliness at this mark-up. Many of the members wasted everyone’s time spinning yarns about all those good times being a member of Congress. One member went off about “sea lions eating all of the salmon and getting fat” back home. NASA used to have to go up against the Veterans Administration in this subcommittee for funds. Now it has to compete with salmon.
Rep. Rogers cites many innovations that came out of #NASA trip to the moon . Someone in hearing room shouts "Tang!" pic.twitter.com/iU21h3wXQB
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 14, 2015
Rogers: said he's sorry that #NASA does not have a goal that would galvanize the nation. I do not see the sparkle & sizzle I'd like to see.
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 14, 2015
Salmon mentioned again. Must have salmon in any Appropriations bill with #NASA in it in order to assure its passage. pic.twitter.com/lpaZu9XEw4
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 14, 2015
#NASA used to have to compete with Veterans Administration for money in this subcommittee. Now it has to compete with Salmon.
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) May 14, 2015
No-one really cared about Bush’s moon-to-Mars ideas in VSE/Constellation once budget realities set in. They sure as hell weren’t excited by Griffin’s Ares and the clumsy Apollo-on-steroids Altair. And SLS is more of the same, big wasteful programs repeating the mistakes of the past.
Many young people are excited by SpaceX, though, and the sense of ’60s-NASA they exude, so it’s obvious that Congress should…
…God damn it.
[The part I elided was Europa. That’s worthy, except that it will inevitably come at the expense of something else, Earth science, CC, etc, rather than an increase in NASA funding. And it will inevitably go over-budget as every wishlist item is shoehorned into (then stripped back out of) the one-off lander. [Edit: Ah yes, there it is. The Europa mission funding is contingent on the program using SLS as their launcher.] ]
“Sizzle, Sparkle, Salmon, and Tang…” (add “Bibbity Bobbity Boo.”)
Sorry. You got me imagining a Disney type space fairy trying to put a good-luck spell on the SLS. Well, hey, if nothing else works…
(Yes, I gotta get more out this weekend)
I find this talk about salmon fishy.
What are they hiding?