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NASA’s Budget Request Sucks – Its Space Exploration Shrinkflation
NASA’s Budget Request Sucks – Its Space Exploration Shrinkflation

Keith’s note: True to form, overt politico Senator Administrator Bill Nelson D-FL said “As history has proven, as the present has shown, and as the future will continue to demonstrate, an investment in NASA is an investment in America for the benefit of humanity,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “President Biden’s budget will fund our nation’s abilities and leadership for the future of space exploration, scientific discovery, cutting-edge technology, climate data, the next generation of aeronautics, and inspiring our future leaders – the Artemis Generation.” This is, of course, nonsense since NASA’s budget overruns/delays on Artemis, Mars Sample Return etc. have already begin to eat up other projects. An insufficient FY 25 budget simply makes things worse. Remember just a few years ago the NASA mantra was “Journey to Mars” in the 2030s. Well, the new variant – NASA “Moon to Mars” thing now only shows the Moon – no Mars – in the 2030s. Negative progress – indeed its space exploration Shrinkflation. Clicking your heels together, crossing your fingers, and whistling “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” ain’t gonna solve anything, Bill. NASA’s plans are royally screwed. And the Artemis Generation will not witness all the happy talk you continue to throw their way. I guess that Moon rock is not in the Oval Office anymore.

Artemis shifts to the right yet again.
Artemis shifts to the right yet again.
  • According to Marcia Smith @SpcPlcyOnline {see chart above} From NASA budget summary, latest Artemis schedule. SpaceX Starship HLS test in 2026, same year as Artemis III landing. Artemis V, first use of Blue Origin’s HLS, now in 2030.
  • According to @Lori_Garver The @POTUS ’25 @NASA budget of $25.38B is ~$2.5B less than projected last year. Along w/ congressional cut of $2.3B for 2024, the agency’s growth trend is now reversed. Absorbing these reductions w/out cancelling major programs will cause delays across the board. Tough choices.
  • The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration put out a statement that only expresses concern about human spaceflight – not all the other things NASA does.
  • In a 7 March Statement the Planetary Society only focuses on space science – and not human spaceflight
  • Here are the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request documents posted by NASA. Read them and weep.
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  • NASA Watch
  • March 11, 2024
NASA Is Not Part Of The OSTP Tech Road Show
NASA Is Not Part Of The OSTP Tech Road Show

Keith’s note: According to this OSTP Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration to Kick off Fourth Investing in America Tour to Highlight How the President Is Delivering for Communities in Every Corner of America: “Throughout the Investing in America tour, President Biden, Vice President Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Cabinet members, and Senior Administration Officials will visit communities across the country where the President is cutting costs for American families, growing our clean energy economy, rebuilding our infrastructure, and creating good-paying jobs along the way. To date, the Administration has now launched over 50,000 infrastructure and clean energy projects and mobilized over $640 billion in private sector clean energy and manufacturing investments.” Alas, NASA is mentioned nowhere in this fact sheet. The fact sheet points to a Brookings Institution report – which also makes no mention of NASA or space. Remember the early days of this Administration when the President pointed out a Moon rock in the oval office? Looks like NASA has lost its mojo. As for the National Space Council – which is supposed to worry about these sort of things – nothing but crickets.

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  • NASA Watch
  • February 16, 2024
Reality Check For The Whole Commercial Space Ecosystem Thing
Reality Check For The Whole Commercial Space Ecosystem Thing

Keith’s note: According to this little gem that was tossed online after hours on a Friday NASA Adjusts Agreements to Benefit Commercial Station Development “We continue to see an immense amount of dedication from our partners,” said Angela Hart, manager of Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.“The agency is committed to continuing to work with industry with the goal having one or more stations in orbit to ensure competition, lower costs, and meet the demand of NASA and other customers.” Uh huh. Since when has NASA lowered the cost – of anything? This whole ISS vs Gateway/Artemis vs Orbital Reef vs Starlab vs Axiom vs Russia vs China vs Congress with regard to space stations is all going to result in an inelastic collision – soon. To some extent this announcement is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. The money is simply not there for everything, competing priorities are inherently non-synergistic, and in place of a coherent, national strategy – one that takes these things into account in a realistic way – we have a short-term, seat of the pants, ad hoc, fake it until you make it, free for all. Something has got to give since neither the money or a clear policy path are on the horizon. And the warning signs – if they are even apparent – will be ignored until it is too late. And expecting the National Space Council to do anything substantive is simply naive in the extreme. Oh then there’s the whole 2024 election thing and the fact that NASA has no idea when the moon walking resumes and … Just sayin’

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  • NASA Watch
  • January 6, 2024
National Space Council Event: Nice TV Backdrop But No News
National Space Council Event: Nice TV Backdrop But No News

Keith’s note: There was another National Space Council thing in Washington, DC. Big room, lots of flags, big expensive billboard-sized posters from Kinko’s, dramatic lighting – and did I mention lots of flags? Today’s big news was not “news”. VP Harris announced that an international crew member would be part of a mission to the lunar surface. Duh. We’ve all known that for a while. We still do not know what country they wil be from or who they are. NASA can’t even tell you what year they’ll be able to announce the year that humans will land on the Moon – much less who will be in the spaceship or the flag on their shoulder. The Vice President’s team just wants talking points with a sizzle reel. Only NASA OIG and GAO seem to care about NASA’s ability to do things at cost and on time. Artemis and Gateway, Mars Sample Return, ISS service life extension and disposal, commercial space station follow-ons – and all those other other shiny new things will not all fit in the existing budget box. But why worry that the budget required to do things at NASA – It’s showtime! These public things are just a dog and pony show that costs a lot of money three times a year to make the people in the D.C space bubble feel important as they enjoy their choir practice in an echo chamber. The real work goes on behind the scenes. This is just for PR. Just sayin’. Here are the talking points and fact sheets.

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  • NASA Watch
  • December 20, 2023
Another Pointless National Space Council Meeting
Another Pointless National Space Council Meeting

Keith’s 11 Dec note: There is a National Space Council meeting on Wednesday 20 Dec. Other than a simple release from the White House – emailed to some media but not others – no other information has come out. I asked NASA PAO if it will be webcast. No response. No start/end time is listed. No location. No agenda. Nothing. NASA+ and NASA.gov make no mention whatsoever. You can’t ask the National Space Council since there is no way to actually contact them via their website (no email contact, phone number). It is hard to see how anyone outside of the DC space bubble will even hear what is said. Based on the indifference that the NSpC has had with being open about its activities, it is obvious by now that no one there or in the VP’s office or OSTP actually cares. (see Yet Another Pointless NSpC Users’ Advisory Group Meeting) This is just another VP photo op wherein people read from a script. Hard to take their interest seriously. Beam me up.

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  • NASA Watch
  • December 11, 2023
Yet Another Pointless NSpC Users’ Advisory Group Meeting
Yet Another Pointless NSpC Users’ Advisory Group Meeting

Keith’s note: According to NASA “The next meeting of the National Space Council (NSpC) Users’ Advisory Group (UAG) is scheduled for December 1, 2023, 11:00am – 2:00pm EST. This meeting will be virtual-only, via dial-in and WebEx. Access information links for both virtual video and audio lines will be posted in advance on this website. This meeting was supposed to happen on 4 August 2023 but they rescheduled it – no reason given. It then took them 4 months to figure out what they wanted to do and reschedule it. It sure doesn’t sound like there is a lot of priority attached to this meeting in the NSpC or the Vice President’s office. As we all know by now all of the topics that are discussed by the UAG have already been decided – in advance – by the NSpC staff. The same thing happened in the previous Administration so at least they are being consistent. All the UAG does in these meetings is a short photo op (in this case a screen grab opportunity) and have the members say words prepared by their staff about the things that have already been decided/enacted. This gives the impression that experts deliberated about whatever their words say they did. And then someone checks a box because they did another one of those FACA advisory meeting things we do here in Washington. Here is the agenda. Will they talk about SLS delays/overruns or Mars Sample Return woes? There does not seem to be room in a 3 hour telecon with a jammed agenda like this. Meanwhile if you want to actually ask the NSpC what all this is about they still do not have any way to contact actual NSpC staff on their official website which is 3 paragraphs on a generic White House webpage. If you have nothing better to do then here are prior rants posts about the whole NSpC/UAG space advisory rabbit hole to look at.

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  • NASA Watch
  • November 26, 2023
Is Bill Nelson On The Same Page As Joe Biden Regarding China?
Is Bill Nelson On The Same Page As Joe Biden Regarding China?
  • According to the Daily Mail ‘The China-U.S. relationship has never been smooth sailing and always faces problems of one kind or another,’ Xi said through a translator as he met Biden. ‘Yet it has kept moving forward amidst twists and turns. For China and the United States, turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other, and conflict and confrontation has terrible consequences for both sides. Planet Earth is big enough for the two countries to succeed.’ Biden said “We have to ensure that competition does not veer into conflict and we have to manage responsibly that competition,’ Biden told his counterpart. ‘That’s what the United States wants and what we intend to do. I believe that’s also what the world wants from both of us. ‘We have a responsibility to our people and the world to work together when we see it in our interests to do so. The critical global changes we face from climate change, narcotics to artificial intelligence demand us to work together.”
  • Meanwhile NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has been quoted in Politico as saying “It is a fact: we’re in a space race,” the former Florida senator and astronaut said in an interview. “And it is true that we better watch out that they don’t get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, ‘Keep out, we’re here, this is our territory.’” He pointed out that Russian cosmonauts operate the International Space Station side by side with NASA astronauts, and that they frequently trust each other with their lives. And on CTV Nelson said “We built the International Space Station with the Russians. What a contrast, with the Chinese government,” Nelson said. “They are secretive, they are non-transparent. They will not share when Earth is threatened by one of their tumbling rockets coming back in, they will not share their trajectories, so it’s a huge difference in the way we approach our civilian space program with the Russians visa vie the Chinese.”
  • It would seem like Bill Nelson has been off on his own hawkish path with regard to China while being extra tender with regard to Russia (with whom we are fighting a proxy war) while the White House (and seemingly Beijing) are moving in the opposite direction than Nelson’s Cold War-ish rhetoric. Is Nelson out of touch – or is this a ‘good cop/bad cop’ game that the Administration is using Nelson for?
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  • NASA Watch
  • November 15, 2023
That NASA/Ukraine Space Document Thing You Probably Did Not Hear About
That NASA/Ukraine Space Document Thing You Probably Did Not Hear About

Keith’s note: There is a photo posted the other day by NASA titled NASA Admin Signs Joint Statement with Space Agency of Ukraine that says “NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, left, and Deputy Chairman of the State Space Agency of Ukraine, Volodymyr Mikheiev, display their signed joint statements on civil space cooperation between NASA and the State Space Agency of Ukraine, Friday April 21, 2023 at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani) Date Created:2023-04-21”. Cool stuff. In a time of war America and Ukraine find a cool way to reiterate their solidarity on peaceful activities. Alas, There is no NASA press release about this listed – before or after the event. Nor a media advisory that I can find. If you search for “Ukraine” at NASA.gov all you get are old stories about grain. I can’t seem to find any stories posted at NASA.gov by looking around NASA.gov.

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  • NASA Watch
  • April 28, 2023
Today’s NASA FY 2024 Budget Hearing
Today’s NASA FY 2024 Budget Hearing

Keith’s note: The House Science Committee held a Fiscal Year 2024 Proposed Budget Request for NASA hearing today. According to committee chair Frank Lucas’ prepared sattement: “Because of these overflowing costs, NASA has been forced to make difficult choices in its science portfolio. It postponed a selected mission to Venus, indefinitely paused a flagship heliophysics mission, and delayed launch of an important asteroid detection spacecraft. If this trend continues, then NASA may have to make difficult decisions to postpone or cancel future missions. This is unacceptable and we must do better.” Bill Nelson made no mention of delays or cost overruns. Instead all he said in his prepared statement was “The FY 2024 Request is the highest request for NASA science in history, supporting over 120 NASA science missions and 10,000 U.S. scientists through more than 4,000 openly competed research awards.” Video below.

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  • NASA Watch
  • April 27, 2023
ICYMI There’s Lots Of Maybe Important International Space Stuff Today
ICYMI There’s Lots Of Maybe Important International Space Stuff Today

Keith’s note: Vice President Harris and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are visiting NASA Goddard this afternoon. There will be live NASA TV at 3:45 pm EDT if you want to hear people speaking from a teleprompter an via interpreters. Only credentialed White House “Pool media” are covering. NASA PAO gave a few hours notice to media yesterday afternoon. Nothing much will be said and transcripts etc. will be posted later. Meanwhile NASA PAO just gave media short notice today about and event in a few hours with Bill Nelson and the Artemis II crew visiting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today in Ottawa. I have no idea if it is on TV. Words and pictures will be issued by someone eventually. Both events have international and intergovernmental relevance yet NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations will make zero mention. Why plan these things in advance for maximum impact, leveraged soft power protection, and overall transparency, eh?

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  • NASA Watch
  • April 25, 2023
NASA Is Ignoring A White House Document On Space Policy
NASA Is Ignoring A White House Document On Space Policy

Keith’s note: On 31 March 2023 The White House issued a policy document Maintaining U.S. Preeminence in Low Earth Orbit which seeks to guide ongoing and future ISS research as well as possible commercial platforms that NASA or the private sector may soon sponsor. It has been 4 days. No mention is made at NASA.gov, NASA space station page, ISS National Lab page, @Space_Station, or @ISS_Reseach. Outgoing HEOMD AA @KathyLueders did mention this in a tweet on Friday (after business hours – and after a @NASAWatch tweet prompt. You have to wonder if NASA is really in synch with what the White House is directing the agency to do if they cannot even bother to mention a policy document – one that will serve to guide billions in future investments in space. Just sayin’.

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  • NASA Watch
  • April 3, 2023
White House Policy Released: Maintaining U.S. Preeminence in Low Earth Orbit
White House Policy Released: Maintaining U.S. Preeminence in Low Earth Orbit

Keith’s note: According to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s new report on Low Earth Orbit research: “The United States holds the preeminent global position in space thanks to steadfast investments in space research and technology development, and strategic partnerships and collaborations. As we work to further explore the Moon and Mars, the use of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) grows, and the International Space Station begins its phased retirement, it is crucial that we maintain preeminence in space research. That’s why today the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is releasing the Biden-Harris Administration’s vision for U.S. leadership in the future research and development (R&D) in LEO.” Summary and full report

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  • NASA Watch
  • March 31, 2023
Will Someone Please Tell NASA About The IPCC Report
Will Someone Please Tell NASA About The IPCC Report

Keith’s note: The latest report from the IPCC – AR6 Synthesis Report – has been out for more than a day. The Biden Administration has been making full throated endorsements about the need to combat Climate Change as a whole of government effort. NASA has a seat at the table at the White House National Climate Task Force. Last year NASA made a big deal about VP Harris and NASA’s climate efforts. SO you’d expect that there would be some mention of this report given that the rest of the world is responding. Yet no mention is at NASA.gov at @NASA or @NASA Earth. Again, NASA PAO is just totally out of synch with issues of vital importance to its overtly stated mission. Wake up PAO.

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  • NASA Watch
  • March 21, 2023
NASA’s New Strategic Plan is Neither Strategic Or A Plan
NASA’s New Strategic Plan is Neither Strategic Or A Plan

Keith’s note: Hooray the new NASA Strategic Plan is online! Alas, these NASA “Strategic Plans” are neither “Strategic” or a “Plan”. Yet NASA feels compelled to issue them – sometimes as a result of Congressional language – or perhaps to appease those who say that NASA does not have a strategic plan. In reality, what NASA does is look at all the things it is doing – whether they decided to do them – or Congress ordered them to do – or the White House told them do do – or things that have no precise origin or rationale – or just things that need to be kept alive to calm the worries of some stakeholder or big aerospace company. They then work backwards from that disorganized collection of things and come up with an outline – with officially-looking numbered sections – that makes it all look like this is the result of some centralized, logical, “strategic” thinking or “planning”. Alas, there is none of that going on. More below.

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  • NASA Watch
  • March 10, 2023
Yet Another Do-Nothing UAG Meeting
Yet Another Do-Nothing UAG Meeting

Keith’s note: A week ago the National Space Council User’s Advisory Group held a meeting. They said that they’d get everything online. It has been a week. All that is online is the agenda. It as a link for the presentations. If you go there you will not see any presentations. There is a link for “National Space Council Users’ Advisory Group: Findings and Recommendations” but it points to a page last updated on 30 July 2020. All that was posted is a video by Buzz Aldrin and a raw video of the meeting at the original livestream link. NASA.gov makes no mention of this anywhere. NASA OIIR which oversees all of this inter- and intra-governmental advisory stuff is clueless as well. There is no mention of this or any other meeting. Nor is there any way to contact an identifiable human (like Chirag Parikh) at the official National Space Council webpage. There is a White House link to a short summary of the photo op all of the UAG members met VP Harris – lots of flowery blather but no substance. Oddly I had a link to Thomas Zurbuchen’s presentation – the one that NASA’s crack AV squad screwed up) which was online moments after the meeting ended – last week. You can catch my UAG coverage on Twitter here. It took the Biden Administration and NASA 2 years to actually assemble this UAG panel for a meeting. It is doubtful that they will accomplish anything more than the Trump Administration’s UAG did – other than dog and pony shows with expensive backdrops. I have seen innumerable pointless advisory panels in my 37 years inside of – and watching – NASA. This UAG is probably the most pointless of them all. If the Administration and NASA do not take the whole “user” aspect of space seriously then why should anyone else? Another 4 years wasted. Just saying.

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  • NASA Watch
  • March 1, 2023
Yet Another Pointless Users’ Advisory Group Meeting
Yet Another Pointless Users’ Advisory Group Meeting

Keith’s note: The National Space Council (NSpC) Users’ Advisory Group (UAG) Is meeting on Thursday 23 February from 9:00 am – 1:15 pm EST at the JW Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC. You can watch it live here. If you look at the Agenda you will see that it is filled with UAG members, space insiders, and NASA staff briefing one another in true echo chamber style. There is no scheduled outside input from the real world. There is a mention on the agenda that you can “submit a question, comment, or idea to the UAG, please use the following e-mail: [email protected]“. Just know that any questions you submit will be filtered and screened by lots of government people – so nothing provocative is likely to be asked at the meeting. And any answers you get back after the meeting will be bland and lacking in terms of having any worthwhile content. The UAG could have had real value. Instead it is mostly a pointless dog and pony show. More below.

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  • NASA Watch
  • February 22, 2023
Doug And Bob Go To The White House
Doug And Bob Go To The White House

According to NASA PAO “Vice President Kamala Harris will award former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken the Congressional Space Medal of Honor at 4:15 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Jan. 31. … Limited pre-credentialed media will join pooled press for the event.” Keith’s note: WRT “Limited pre-credentialed media” – In other words Marc Etkind and Jackie McGuiness at NASA PAO now hand-pick space media who can cover these things – in advance – (I guess) to get the most positive results for the event. FWIW its not that you can really ask questions at these highly scripted events. NASA only announced this event after media pre-selections have been made – and only after the White House gave the OK to do so. But we can still watch all the award stuff live on NASA TV etc. And this is a rather cool award! More details from the White House below.

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  • NASA Watch
  • January 30, 2023
After 2 Years Of Fumbling – A New National Space Council Users Advisory Group (UAG)
After 2 Years Of Fumbling – A New National Space Council Users Advisory Group (UAG)

Keith’s note: Hooray – we have a new National Space Council Users Advisory group. You have to wonder why it took so long for the National Space Council, Vice President’s Office, and NASA to come up with a simple panel of space people whose job is mostly to sit on telecons and read a few white papers. We’re already halfway though the first term of the Biden-Harris Administration. These committees move slower than a snail’s pace, become totally bogged down in white papers and endless consent cycles, and in the end they always defer to rubber stamping whatever talking points the White House staff wishes to have endorsed. We still have no idea when the UAG will meet. And when it does get started you can rest assured that it will take the rest of this Administration’s term to produce a report with actions items or something. Four years to make a difference with another UAG – wasted (again). Oh and the picture of the UAG posted online at NASA? (see above) Its the Trump UAG membership on a web page that is more than 2 years old. Here is the official release and list of names – followed by more commentary:

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  • NASA Watch
  • December 16, 2022