March « 2005 « Space Politics

More on Griffin

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 14 at 7:45 am ET

There has been a lot of coverage about Friday’s announcement that the President will nominate Michael Griffin as the next NASA administrator. NASA Watch has a good collection of press releases from organizations and members of Congress that pretty much all say the same thing: they like him, they really, really like him.

Over the […]

Mike Griffin

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 11 at 5:13 pm ET

As you probably have already heard, the White House announced Friday afternoon that the Bush Administration will nominate Michael Griffin as the next NASA Administrator. I’ll have more to say later (I’m writing this right now at Cape Canaveral, having just watched an Atlas 5 launch!) but in the meantime you can review his bio. […]

More prize lobbying

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 11 at 8:34 am ET

The Space Frontier Foundation issued a press release Thursday about Centennial Challenges, NASA’s prize program. The Foundation would like to see NASA and Congress increase the program’s FY06 funding from the current proposal of $34 million to $200 million, although they don’t specify what types of prizes they would like to see the additional funding […]

Spring break

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 10 at 4:57 am ET

Posting will be light here through the weekend, as I’m going out of town on a short “vacation”.

What does an earmark look like?

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 9 at 7:45 am ET

It’s 12 meters across, encased in a protective dome, and located in the heart of a North Carolina forest. It’s a radio telescope at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute that was formerly part of a satellite tracking network but is now being converted into an educational facility. It’s also the recipient of a $1 million […]

Fred Gregory and the job of NASA administrator

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 9 at 7:22 am ET

In a Washington Post profile article, NASA deputy administrator (and current acting administrator) Fred Gregory is asked if he’d like to be Sean O’Keefe’s permanent replacement:

“I would hope not,” he said quickly. But then came the qualifiers: “I’ll tell you, though, it’s a blast; the agency is the most challenging entity that I can […]

Remember Ohio, Mr. President?

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 8 at 7:41 am ET

That’s the message the state is trying to push, NPR reported Monday, in the wake of NASA budget proposals that would cut aeronautics funding and potentially hundreds of jobs at NASA Glenn. Area politicians are fighting the cuts, and one of them, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Jimmy Dimora, thinks the state is due some respect from […]

Better late than never

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 8 at 7:31 am ET

The Coalition for Space Exploration issued a press release Monday endorsing the FY2006 NASA budget proposal, which it calls “the responsible and appropriate level of funding necessary to maintain a balance with other national priorities, and reflects a clear set of priorities within the space agency.” The timing is a bit odd, since it comes […]

The search for a new administrator

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 7 at 6:26 am ET

Florida Today reports that the administration’s search for a new NASA administrator drags on, with no sign of an immediate selection. While the article’s subhead claims that “Experts fear delay is hurting NASA”, the only “expert” cited in the article who makes such a claim is Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL), who tends a bit towards […]

Florida space policy

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 7 at 6:25 am ET

In a Sunday editorial, Florida Today argues that the state legislature needs to “embrace Spaceport Florida Authority’s strategy for the future” to ensure the stat’s standing in the space industry given the coming end of the space shuttle program and other changes influenced by the Vision for Space Exploration. That strategy ranges from research grants […]

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