Reid speaks on JFK and his space legacy

Thursday was the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of John F. Kennedy as president, a milestone marked by a ceremony at the US Capitol whose guests included NASA administrator Charles Bolden and deputy administrator Lori Garver. In remarks at the event, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid discussed JFK’s legacy in space exploration. “[T]hroughout the brief […]

Tightening the budget screws

In their “Pledge to America” last fall, the House GOP leadership proposed cutting most discretionary spending to FY 2008 levels. That’s not enough, though, for some Republicans. On Thursday the Republican Study Committee announced its Spending Reduction Act, intended to cut federal spending by $2.5 trillion through 2021. The biggest part of that spending cut […]

Palazzo to chair House science committee’s space subcommittee

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee announced this afternoon subcommittee assignments for the committee’s Republican members. A freshman member, Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS), will chair the space and aeronautics subcommittee. He is, as noted here earlier this week, one of several new Republican members with NASA centers in their districts; in Palazzo’s case, it’s […]

Bolden interview; Nelson criticism; Supreme Court’s NASA decision

Space News published this week an exclusive interview with NASA administrator Charles Bolden, where he, in part, tried to quiet the debate about the ability of NASA to develop a heavy-lift rocket. “The interim report that we turned in Jan. 10 was in fact an interim, and it did not say we could not” build […]

Resetting US-China space cooperation

In November NASA administration Charles Bolden suggested any US-China space cooperation would proceed at a slow pace after his visit to China in October. That meeting, set up after a meeting of Presidents Hu and Obama in China in 2009, was also to feature a visit to the US by “the appropriate Chinese counterpart” to […]

Budget battles looming

When it comes to NASA’s budget, administrator Charles Bolden is trying to sound optimistic. In an interview with the Charleston (SC) Post & Courier, Bolden said he didn’t know what the impact of possible spending cuts would be on NASA. “It may be that the Congress decides that they really think exploration is really important […]

Republican roster for House Science Committee announced

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee announced late Tuesday the list of Republican members who will serve on the committee. The list features seven freshman members, including Reps. Sandy Adams (R-FL), whose district includes KSC; Scott Rigell (R-VA), whose district includes the Wallops Flight Facility and is immediately adjacent to NASA Langley; Steven Palazzo […]

WikiLeaks claims a space casualty

Controversial comments attributed to the CEO of a German satellite manufacturer have cost him his job. Late Monday the board of OHB-System announced it was removing Berry Smutny from the position of CEO, effective immediately. (The release says he is “suspended”, but the implication in the release and media reports, such as this Deutsche Welle […]

HLV costs and sidemount options

In its report to Congress earlier this week, NASA concluded that its “Reference Vehicle Design” for a heavy-lift vehicle, using five-segment SRBs and five SSMEs on the external tank based core stage, would not fit into the cost and schedule requirements of the NASA authorization bill. The report, though, did not indicate by how much […]

Nelson, Hutchison, and Hall respond to NASA report

The Senate Commerce Committee released today a letter to NASA administrator Charles Bolden by Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL), chair of the committee’s space subcommittee, and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), ranking member of the full committee. The letter goes in more detail to the statement issued by the committee Wednesday that advised NASA that building a […]