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Policy

National Space Council: Well Done – Thanks!

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
December 31, 2020

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

6 responses to “National Space Council: Well Done – Thanks!”

  1. John C Mankins says:
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    Keith: absolutely right! Well done to Dr. Scott Pace and everyone who has worked so hard and well over the past several years to push US space policy forward in a coherent and important direction. I hope the folks who are responsible for space policy in the Biden-Harris Administration will consult with him frequently over the coming several years…! All the best for the New Year…

  2. Mike Shupp says:
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    Ummm… Space Force. Artemis, an underfunded manned lunar program with uncertain goals and unlikely timing. Constant attempts to eliminate STEM educational programs, climate and global warming monitoring satellites, and post-Hubble space telescope projects. Lack of maintenance for the Arecibo Radio Observatory, leading to its recent collapse. General neglect of manned space programs in near earth orbit in the post-ISS period. Continued political constraints on cooperative space programs involving the CCP. Constant carping by lower level audit and review boards about procedural failures and management weaknesses at NASA.

    I’m not so impressed by these accomplishments of the National Space Council. Okay, this sounds like quibbling or maybe even a bit trollish. But I’m not actually opposed to the very idea of a NSC in principle or even dismissive of the intellect and character of the staff members employed on this one; it’s that I think these results show that oversight committees made up of cabinet members will seldom accomplish much beyond rubberstamping the notions of the President.

    At the highest level — Trump and Pence — NASA’s goals and operations have mattered less than establishing a US Space Force. Apparently there has never been consideration of the adequacy of size and performance of the overall American aerospace industry in the contexts of trade, national R&D funding, employment factors, support of military power, international cooperation and rivalry, etc. NASA goals in the next several decades have not been considered or not openly discussed, its launcher and vehicle development programs (SLS, Orion) do not seem optimal, and the budgets sought for the civilian space agency have never been adequate for more than this limited program.

    TL;DR: Not Pace’s fault, but this ain’t great.

    • Tom Billings says:
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      “At the highest level — Trump and Pence — NASA’s goals and operations have mattered less than establishing a US Space Force.”

      Only even a possible priority *after* Cooper and Rogers did their WH presentation in February 2018 on a Space Corps. They were searching for backing to get it through the Senate, as they had once got it through the House already. Until then, and only after another 4 months checking what Cooper and Rodgers told them, Space Force *could*not* be a Trump priority. They had not been given that information by the bureaucracy, till they directly asked for it, *after* the Cooper/Rodgers presentation.

      “Apparently there has never been consideration of the adequacy of size and performance of the overall American aerospace industry ….”

      Sure there was, but the fact is that the 4th most powerful man in the Federal Government, the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Richard Shelby, stood, and still stands, in the way of rational policy for Civil Spaceflight. “The Resistance” was a large part of what was keeping Jim Bridenstine from confirmation until April 19th, 2018, just because it was Trump who had nominated him. It was hardly likely that the WH was focused on NASA policy when they did not have a NASA Administrator in place.

      ” …its launcher and vehicle development programs (SLS, Orion) do not seem optimal, and the budgets sought for the civilian space agency have never been adequate for more than this limited program.”

      For which you can thank the LBJian Senator from MSFC, Richard Shelby. If NASA wants any budget at all, then they will build SLS/Orion, for as long as Shelby has his Seniority in the Senate to be the SAC Chair.

    • Brian_M2525 says:
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      At least there are goals. No more missions to asteroids, or wait, pick up a rock from an asteroid because the spaceship the Administration left NASA with could not actually go to an asteroid or to lunar orbit, or anywhere else….the effort the abolish NASA education started under Bolden and Obama; now the ‘Office of STEM Engagement is still there, now not well organized and left with no substantial goals or projects….Its a great fear that efforts begun under the prior Administration might be rejuvenated.

  3. Brian_M2525 says:
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    I’ve been very impressed over the last 4 years with the Council, the Administrator, and the entire Administration. I think a lot of it is due to an Administration that feels they have a stake in the space program. I would have very much preferred they stay in place another 4 years. We will now see how much damage the Democrats can do.