Senator Barbara Mikulski, chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, told a standing room only hearing this morning that “My position on this budget [for human spaceflight] is very simple.  I need to know more, Congress needs to know more, taxpayers need to know more and astronauts need to know more.”

She continued that “I want to know if this is a program that the President, Congress and the American people can support and if this is a program that will be sustainable from one administration to the next.  We cannot reinvent NASA every four years.  … We are here to get the facts.  It’s not about finger pointing — it’s about pin pointing.”  She specifically cites the Constellation program as one topic needing clarification:  “Is the President talking about cancelling Constellation or restructuring Constellation?”  That’s a key issue in her view.  She reiterated her priorities and principles as spelled out in a letter to Senator Bill Nelson weeks ago.

She also said that Congress must focus on other aspects of NASA, such as earth science and space science.   “But it’s not all doom and gloom.  We have to note successes.  The goals of NASA’s space science are amazing.”

The hearing is ongoing.  Check back later for more news.