The so-so space debate: initial impressions

The featured event Friday afternoon at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) was the “Election 2008 Space Panel” featuring representatives of the three major presidential candidates (Sens. Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama), moderated by CNN’s Miles O’Brien. This was one of the few opportunities for the campaigns to speak out in detail and […]

Competing for Taurus

In recent weeks officials in Florida and Virginia have been vying to win over Orbital Sciences Corporation, which is deciding between Cape Canaveral and Wallops for the launch site of its new Taurus 2 launch vehicle, part of its COTS system for delivering cargo to the ISS. The two states are reportedly offering various incentives […]

No Eros for Nemitz in Idaho

At first glance, the easy victory Tuesday by Rep. Mike Simpson in the Republican primary for Idaho’s 2nd District wouldn’t appear to have much relevance to space policy: Simpson doesn’t represent a “space state” and doesn’t serve on the House Science and Technology Committee nor the Commerce, Justice, and Science subcommittee of the House Appropriations […]

Science committee to take up NASA authorization bill next week

The full House Science and Technology Committee has scheduled a markup of HR 6063, the NASA authorization bill for FY 2009, for Wednesday, June 4, at 10 am. The space subcommittee approved the bill without changes in a brief markup session last week.

Griffin: “time of incredible turmoil” at NASA

NASA administrator Mike Griffin, who spoke at the Washington Space Business Roundtable luncheon last week before the delayed Sen. Bill Nelson arrived, did not provide the most uplifting assessment of the space agency. “It’s a time of incredible turmoil at NASA,” he said, citing the confluence of several factors, ranging from the impending retirement of […]

Nelson on presidential candidates and space policy

During his speech Thursday at the Washington Space Business Roundtable, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) also spent some time talking about the presidential election and the relevance of space policy to the campaign. He is convinced that space will be critical to winning Florida, and thus the White House. “I am banking on the fact that […]

Congressional Mars drop-in

This morning The Planetary Society hosted a small press conference to talk about their “Visions of Mars” DVD that is on the Mars Phoenix spacecraft, set to land later today. It was a rather straightforward press conference until a surprise guest showed up: Congressman John Culberson (R-TX), who was in town to observe the […]

Space policy panel at Netroots Nation

Andrew Hoppin announced yesterday that there will a space policy panel at Netroots Nation (formerly Yearly Kos), this July in Austin, Texas. It’s a fairly high-power panel, featuring Lori Garver, former FAA associate administrator for commercial space transportation Patti Grace Smith, and NSS executive director George Whitesides, among others. The panel he writes, is “an […]

Nelson on NASA authorization

Another topic that Sen. Bill Nelson mentioned in his speech Thursday was a NASA authorization bill for 2009. The House version is waiting approval by the full House Science and Technology Committee after the space subcommittee approved the bill in a brief markup session on Tuesday. Nelson said the Senate is getting ready to mark […]

A step closer for a little extra for NASA

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) was the scheduled speaker at a Washington Space Business Roundtable luncheon on Thursday, but with votes taking place on the Senate floor that morning, it wasn’t clear that he was going to make it—so much so that the luncheon organizers drafted a last-minute replacement, NASA administrator Mike Griffin. However, Nelson was […]