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Thursday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting on the NASA authorization bill taking shape Thursday in the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. The committee meets today with growing indications of White House support. The bi-partisan measure would accelerate the development of a heavy lift rocket and return an Orion like crew vehicle to deep space exploration status — at the expense of Obama’s commercial space transportation initiative. The commercial forces will seek more funding during today’s committee session. In Florida, at least some economic development experts are not so pleased with the measure.
1. From the Orlando Sentinel: NASA’s future is on the line as the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee meet Thursday. The Orlando Sentinel also reports the White House is likely to back the measure.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/os-nasa-budget-hearing-20100714,0,1353351.story
A. From Spacepolitics.com: Supporters of commercial space transportation will offer amendments today to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s proposed NASA authorization bill. The amendments would restore funding for commercial crew transportation by drawing monies from funding that would otherwise accelerate a heavy lift rocket and develop a multi-purpose crew vehicle under the new measure. Proposed changes would re-compete the multi-purpose crew vehicle contract. Another change would re-establish funding for the Commercial Suborbital Research Program initiated under the Obama plan.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/07/14/proposed-commercial-space-amendments-to-nasa-authorization/
B. From the Houston Chronicle: The White House is warming up to the authorization measure the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will consider Thursday.
http://blogs.chron.com/sciguy/archives/2010/07/white_house_may_be_inclined_to_support_senate_nasa.html
C. From the Huntsville Times: The overall Senate measure has bi-partisan support and has the White House engaged in the discussion, the Huntsville paper reports. “The Commerce Committee has been working on a bipartisan basis to develop a strong and forward-looking re-authorization bill for NASA,” an unnamed Senate aide tells the Huntsville Times. “There has been great interest from all sides on the best way for the agency to move forward. Working with the administration, Republicans on the committee, and numerous other stakeholders, the committee has been able to reach a sensible center.”
http://blog.al.com/space-news/2010/07/senate_committee_reviews_possi.html
D. From Florida Today: In Central Florida, some economic leaders are not so pleased with the NASA compromise measure shaping up in the Senate. It would stall plans to re-shape the regional economy around commercial space transportation,” Florida Today reports. “The risk that this future may be bargained away for one more attuned to the needs of Alabama, Texas and Utah, in the name of political expediency, demands a response,” leaders of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast wrote in a letter to Sen. Bill Nelson. The Florida Democrat is a key architect of the compromise measure.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100715/NEWS02/7150311/Bill+Nelson+s+proposal+unsettles+Space+Coast+EDC
E. From MSNBC: It’s “crunch” time for NASA. The White House is expected to announce its support for the measure on Thursday, MSNBC reports.
http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/14/4679091-crunch-time-for-nasas-space-vision
F. From NASAwatch.com: U.S. Sen Bill Nelson, D-FL., and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-TX, key members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee, are to host a news conference on Thursday to announce a “major breakthrough” on a NASA authorization measure.
http://nasawatch.com/archives/2010/07/nelson-hutchiso.html
2. From the SpaceCoalition.com: NASA to host a Washington workshop for asteroid experts. The invitation only August gathering will kickoff discussion about a human asteroid mission in the 2024-26 timeframe. The mission is a centerpiece of the Obama space plan.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/newsroom/nasa-pushes-forward-on-human-mission-to-an-asteroid
3. From Space News: In Geneva, the U.S. informs the United Nations it is now open to the idea of an agreement limiting weapons in space as part of the new space policy.
http://www.spacenews.com/policy/100714-open-ideas-for-limiting-space-weapons.html
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