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Tuesday’s CSExtra includes the latest reporting and commentary on two hot topics; a Senate authorization measure that would significantly alter the White House space initiative and recent remarks by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden that reaching out to Muslim nations was an agency priority. Five members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board endorse a commercial space transportation initiative, a centerpiece of the Obama space plan. The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will meet Thursday to address the Obama plan that also cancels NASA’s Constellation Program. The White House disavows Bolden’s controversial remarks to Al Jazeera about reaching out to Muslims.
1. From Space News: Five members of the 13-member Columbia Accident Investigation Board express support for the White House space initiative in a letter to U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, who chairs the Senate appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over NASA. In earlier statements Mikulski has said she would judge the Obama space initiative based on astronaut safety first. The letter (the CAIB Chairman is not among those who signed) notes their investigation was an “indictment” of NASA’s safety culture. The five board members find no reason why established commercial rockets as well as the newcomers can’t take on the role of safely transporting astronauts to the International Space Station.
http://www.spacenews.com/civil/100712-caib-members-behind-white-house-plan.html
A. From the Orlando Sentinel: “We see no reason why a well-crafted NASA-industry partnership cannot match, or perhaps exceed, past performance in ensuring astronaut safety,” wrote five of the 13 members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board. The board was assembled to investigate the 2003 Columbia tragedy.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/2010/07/caib-members-back-obama-space-plan.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+news%2Fspace%2Fspace_blog+%28Space+Blog+The+Write+Stuff%29
B. From USA Today: The newspaper’s report includes the text of the CAIB letter, which was also circulated to the chairs of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which has responsibility for NASA oversight.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/sciencefair/post/2010/07/space-shuttle-accident-board-members-endorse-obama-space-plans/1
2. From Spacepolicyonline.com: The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will meet Thursday to markup a NASA Authorization bill. The measure in the works, as reported by the New York Times, MSNBC, the Orlando Sentinel and others, will accelerate the development of a heavy lift rocket, return Orion to its original deep space mission, and add at least one more shuttle flight, while placing conditions on the White House’s commercial space transportation initiative.
http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/pages/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1022:senate-commerce-committee-to-mark-up-nasa-authorization-bill-on-thursday-july-15&catid=67:news&Itemid=27
3. From the Orlando Sentinel: On Monday, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says NASA Administrator Charles Bolden was wrong to say improved relations with Muslim nations was a top priority for the agency.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/2010/07/white-house-backs-away-from-nasa-chief.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+news%2Fspace%2Fspace_blog+%28Space+Blog+The+Write+Stuff%29
A. From the AP via the Huntsville Times: The White House, through Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, denies Bolden was told reaching out to Muslims was a top NASA priority. The White House staff has discussed the matter with Bolden, Gibbs says. http://www.al.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-19/1278962941186580.xml&storylist=washington
B. From Reuters via the Washington Post: Reaching out to Muslim nations is not a top NASA priority, according to Gibbs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/12/AR2010071205340.html
C. The ABCnews.com version: “That was not his task, and that’s not the task of NASA,” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs tells Monday’s White House briefing.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/07/white-house-now-says-nasa-administrator-not-tasked-with-muslim-outreach.html
D. From Florida Today: In Sunday’s editions, columnist John Kelly says Bolden’s interview with Arab television has become a harmful distraction to the real issues facing the nation’s future in space.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100711/COLUMNISTS0405/7110320/You-should-be-mad-about-NASA-leader-s-remarks-about-Muslims?GID=F7uxp2qApXb8g4ENkpvnoV0RQusNMOi6Z5P8b%2Fv384o%3D
4. From Spacepolitics.com: Events of interest this week may include an update on House plans for a NASA authorization measure from U.S. Rep. Ralph Hall, the ranking Republican on the House Science and Technology Committee. He speaks Tuesday at a Space Transportation Association breakfast.
http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/07/12/events-past-and-future/
5. From Florida Today: Central Florida’s economic leadership hosts a second workshop on Monday to develop a strategy to offset thousands of job losses linked to the looming retirement of NASA’s shuttle program.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100713/NEWS02/7130311/Focus-is-on-future-during-space-forum
6. From Monday’s The Space Review: Editor Jeff Foust, in “The gap in Newspace Business Plans,” examines the recent and little noticed bankruptcy filing of Rocketplane. The company was one of two NASA selections for assistance in developing a commercial cargo transportation system for the International Space Station several years ago. Foust suggests the economic environment appears to favor a few well funded companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, or smaller ventures on a more measured arc, like Armadillo Aerospace, Masten Space Systems and XCOR Aerospace.
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1663/1
7. From Space.com: Lunar dust, stirred up by sun light, poses a long term threat to the spacecraft and machinery used to explore the moon, according to a new study that examined Apollo era reflectors left on the Earth’s nearest neighbor.
http://www.exploredeepspace.com/businesstechnology/sun-lunar-dust-threatens-moon-machines-100712.html
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