Dramatic Alterations to Exploration Systems Plans

Internal Letter from NASA Administrator Griffin: Exploration Systems Architecture Study Support

“This team will be led by Dr. Douglas Stanley and will operate fom NASA Headquarters. Dr. Stanley, or other members of my staff, will select and contact a small number of core team members to be co-located at Headquarters in the next few days. The team will need to draw on resources located at Headquarters and the Centers to efectively accomplish its mission.”

NASA Legislative Affairs Memo Regarding the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS), NASA HQ

Editor’s note: This information was sent to the Hill today by NASA Legislative Affairs:

“NASA has initiated the Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) in an effort to minimize the gap between the final Space Shuttle mission and the maiden flight of an operational Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Attached is the NASA Memorandum signed on April 29, 2005 by Administrator Griffin which initiated the ESAS.”

Sen. Hutchison Statement on NASA Gap Study

“I am pleased to see Administrator Griffin is taking aggressive action to address the concerns many of us have about a future gap in U.S. human launch capability,” Sen. Hutchison said. “I will work to eliminate any gap between Space Shuttle retirement and a replacement vehicle. I look forward to seeing the initial results of this study in July.”