The Sarasota Herald-Tribune published an article this weekend on the new power wielded by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) now that Democrats have taken control of the Senate. Besides being in line to chair the space subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee, Nelson is also expected to take over the strategic forces subcommittee of the Senate Armed Forces Subcommittee, which has oversight of military space activities. He’s expected to use that power to help support NASA, and NASA/KSC activities, in particular, including reducing the gap in human spaceflight between the end of the shuttle and the introduction of Orion.
There’s one curious statement in the article: discussing the Vision for Space Exploration, the article claims that “It has drawn criticism from some government officials who argue the program is too expensive and unnecessary.” While the VSE has been criticized by some scientists and pundits, I’m hard pressed to think of any government officials openly critical of the exploration program, unless the reporter is including members of Congress in that definition.
Sunday’s San Francisco Chronicle also briefly reviews the effect of the change of control of Congress on NASA. While noting the potential opposition to NASA funding from Rep. David Obey (D-WI), the incoming chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, the Chronicle’s Carl Hall concludes that “Space programs aren’t likely to generate a lot of controversy.”
