HASC and Constellation

To listen to Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) has taken a strong stand against NASA’s plans to cancel most of Constellation. “There is report language, which meets our (committee’s needs), where we went almost two pages criticizing NASA’s decision to cancel the Constellation [program] without recognizing the impact it would […]

The other great debate

The so-called “Great Debate” at the National Space Society’s (NSS) International Space and Development Conference (ISDC) in Chicago on Saturday afternoon featuring Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin and former Apollo astronaut Rusty Schweickart was something of a dud, in part because it wasn’t that much of a debate: after ten-minute opening statements by Zubrin (who […]

Rallying the troops

Saturday’s luncheon at the National Space Society’s (NSS) International Space and Development Conference (ISDC) in Chicago was something of a homecoming for its speaker, NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver, who was executive director of the organization for a number of years. “I grew up in NSS,” she said. “Perhaps no other speaking engagement so far […]

Is a circumlunar mission in NASA’s plans?

After being interrupted by a protestor, the rest of NASA administrator Charles Bolden’s speech Friday night was a bit anticlimactic. That was, though, to be expected: it was unlikely the administrator would make any major announcements in a speech in Chicago that wrapped up around 9 pm CDT on a Friday night before a holiday […]

“Shame on you, Charles Bolden!”

NASA administrator Charles Bolden was just starting his after-dinner speech Friday night at the International Space Development Conference (ISDC) in Chicago when a young woman got onto the stage and took control of the microphone. “NASA needs to scrap plans to fund cruel and wasteful on monkeys,” she said. “Stop wasting taxpayers’ dollars on wasteful […]

More calls in Senate for investigation of Hanley reassignment

On Wednesday, hours after word came out that NASA was reassigning Constellation program manager Jeff Hanley to a new position at JSC, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) questioned the move, saying she was “deeply troubled” by it and called for an investigation by NASA’s Inspector General. On Thursday Hutchison, the ranking member of the Senate […]

Other notes from yesterday’s hearing

Besides the news that NASA was transferring Constellation program manager Jeff Hanley to a different position at JSC, a few other items of note from the hearing:

At the hearing NASA administrator Charles Bolden revealed the estimated cost of developing Orion as a crew return vehicle only: $4.5 billion over five years. Where the money […]

Nelson officially begins push for additional shuttle flight

Several hours after the space shuttle Atlantis landed at the Kennedy Space Center, ending its last scheduled flight, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) officially announced he would try to seek one more flight for that orbiter. In a letter to President Obama, Nelson said he would seek to include language for that flight in the NASA […]

Constellation program manager reassignment raises a ruckus on the Hill

If there was one surprise from Wednesday’s hearing of the House Science and Technology Committee about NASA’s human spaceflight plans, it was the news that NASA was reassigning Constellation program manager Jeff Hanley, who will now be the associate director for strategic capabilities at the Johnson Space Center. What was particularly surprising was how the […]

Augustine in Huntsville; CAGW cheers Constellation’s demise

Norm Augustine wasn’t expecting a warm reception when he spoke at an AIAA luncheon in Huntsville on Monday; in fact, he was expecting “deep concern, even hostility”, the Huntsville Times reports. He reassured the audience that the Marshall Space Flight Center “is going to be having a very big role” no matter what happens with […]