News NASA's Future: The News and Updates Thread

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Parabolic Arc: Wolf’s “Reconfigured” Commercial Crew: Less Money, Less Competition, More Regulation:

We now know what the House has in mind for NASA’s “reconfigured” commercial crew program. I’ll let Rep. Frank Wolf, chairman of the House’s Science subcommittee, explain in his own inimitable way:

Commercial Crew development is funded at $500 million, consistent with the current authorization and the report accompanying the House Budget Resolution. In light of limited budgets and the need to find the fastest, safest and most cost effective means of achieving a U.S. capability for access to the International Space Station, the bill directs NASA to winnow the commercial partners and advance the schedule for moving to traditional government procurement methods.​

So, the House’s “fastest, safest and most cost effective” approach can be summed up as follows:

• Slash $350 million from the President’s request so NASA doesn’t have enough money to do the program the way it wants
• Use the lack of funds to force NASA to down select earlier than it wants, thus limiting competition that will keep prices down
• Require NASA to use traditional government procurement methods as soon as possible, which will likely raise costs even further.

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Discovery News: Ex-Flight Director Urges NASA to Kill Next Rocket System

 

[NovaSilisko]

Well, here we go again...

 

[Alfastar]

Let me guess...He comes soon with a proposal to use the Delta IV heavy as the launch rocket of the Orion MPCV....

 

[FADEC]

Let me guess...He comes soon with a proposal to use the Delta IV heavy as the launch rocket of the Orion MPCV....

I am not even sure if Orion will ever see another medium than water from a testing-pool at all. NASA has no focus since the early 1970s. Just as decision maker in Washington haven't got any. STS just was a delay of what we are going to witness now if you ask me (it was a big job program in the first place). My assumption is that as soon as they realize that SpaceX manages to send Dragon successfully to the ISS and back, especially manned, they might ask to kill Orion and decide for a complete commercial manned program. And it's even valid thinking. On the other hand: the job motor called NASA is shrinking.

 

[N_Molson]

Personally, I don't take those announcements and counter-announcements too seriously. They just seem to change their minds every month. Let's watch the achievements and milestones. Hopefully we will see the COTS flight 2/3 soon. That would be a concrete result, if successful.

 

[T.Neo]

Let me guess...He comes soon with a proposal to use the Delta IV heavy as the launch rocket of the Orion MPCV....

An EELV- the DIVH is perhaps suboptimal due to the requirement of man-rating the engines- but the Atlas 5 would be a fine launcher for the MPCV. It has been studied in this capacity before, and has been deemed capable of the role.

 

[ElGuapoGuano]

IMHO the EELV's should have both been "man rated" post CAIB.

 

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Florida Today: U.S. House debates NASA funding today:

The U.S. House of Representative is scheduled to begin debate today on a multi-agency bill that includes $17.6 billion for NASA in 2013, but White House advisers said Monday they would recommend President Obama veto the bill if he were presented with it.

Among the objections expressed in the four-page statement from the Office of Management and Budget: inadequate funding for NASA's commercial crew program.

House appropriators recommended $500 million for the initiative, $330 million below the president's request, and asked NASA to immediately select one commercial partner instead of extending a competition among multiple partners.

The administration said it "strongly opposed the level of funding provided for the commercial crew program," and said the House bill's proposal to eliminate competition would increase -- not reduce -- the time the U.S. relied on Russia for crew transportation.

"While the Administration appreciates the overall funding level provided to NASA, the bill provides some NASA programs with unnecessary increases at the expense of other important initiatives," the statement says.

A vote may not come for several days, and any House bill will need to be reconciled with a Senate version. The NASA spending is part of a larger bill covering appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies.

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[anemazoso]

Woo hoo! Never thought they wpuld threatin a veto over the NASA budget. Very suprised and happy!

 

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Space News: NASA Cuts Draw Veto Threat

SPACE.com: NASA Budget Cuts Draw Threat of Presidential Veto

Parabolic Arc: Obama Threatens to Veto House Spending Bill Over Commercial Crew Provisions

 

[N_Molson]

At least, it shows they care a little about it. :yes:

 

[Cras]

I like hearing about a veto threat. I really do. Got a bit excited about the prospect that there are some people in the federal government that actually have an understanding concerning NASA's future.

 

[NovaSilisko]

Didn't expect that...

 

[zerofay32]

eh... it's an election year....

 

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Space News: NASA Budget Takes $126M Hit on House Floor:

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on May 8 cut $126 million from NASA’s Cross-Agency Support account and transferred the funds to the Justice Department, shrinking the House’s proposed budget for NASA to $17.447 billion for 2013.

When debate began May 8 on the $51.1 billion 2013 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act, NASA stood to receive $17.57 billion next year — a $226 million cut that would receive the agency with its smallest budget since 2008.

But by midnight, the House voted 206 to 204 to adopt an amendment offered by Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) to take $126 million out of NASA’s Cross Agency Support account — which covers overhead at the agency’s nine government-run field centers — and move it to the Justice Department’s COPS community policing program.

With the additional cut, NASA would see its budget shrink by $324 million — a 1.8 percent drop compared to 2012. Under President Barack Obama’s budget proposal, NASA would receive $17.71 billion in 2013, which is $60 million less than this year.

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[Unstung]

SPACE.com: "Endeavour Unplugged: NASA Powers Down its Last Space Shuttle"

Endeavour was the last of NASA's retired shuttle fleet to go permanently dark. Discovery, which was delivered to the Smithsonian in April, was powered down for a final time on Dec. 16, 2011. Atlantis, which is destined for display just down the road from its processing facility at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, was shut down the following week on Dec. 22.

 

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[FADEC]

Nice video. But I can't wait for the day when NASA finally presents real results again, instead of computer animated videos for years.

 

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Parabolic Arc:

• Bolden: “Good Old-Fashioned American Competition” Key to Commercial Space Industry
  
  
• Former Astronaut Criticizes NASA’s Current Course

Florida Today: Nelson opposes hurry-up plan on rocket selection:

WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida said Monday he strongly opposes a House spending bill passed last week that directs NASA to speed up its selection of a company to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station.

Nelson called the plan, which instructs NASA to immediately choose a company for the Commercial Crew Program, “silliness” and “anti-competitive.”

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