House committee puts in its requests to appropriators

Prior to the passage of S.3729 in the House last week, science committee chairman Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) has indicated that he planned to “continue to advocate to the Appropriators for the provisions” in the “compromise” version his committee drafted but never voted upon. Late Friday committee leadership, including Gordon, ranking member Ralph Hall (R-TX), […]

Hutchison praises NASA bill; Wolf worries about China

While President Obama didn’t get around to signing the NASA authorization bill Thursday, as Sen. Hutchison’s office had earlier reported, it didn’t stop her and several Houston-area members of Congress from praising the bill during a press conference Thursday afternoon at the Johnson Space Center. “This has not been an easy time,” Hutchison said. “We […]

Hot about the NASA bill in Cleveland

One of the lesser-covered aspects of last week’s vote on the NASA authorization bill is the opposition to the bill by members of Ohio’s delegation. Ten of Ohio’s 18 representatives, concerned about the effect the legislation would have on NASA Glenn, voted against the bill, ranging from House minority leader John Boehner to Dennis Kucinich […]

NASA authorization bill (not) to be signed today

[Update: apparently the president won’t be signing the bill today; it’s not listed on his schedule for the day (although other bill signings are) and the bill is still listed under pending legislation on the White House web site.]

According to a media advisory released late yesterday by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, President Obama is […]

The “best language” for an HLV in the authorization bill?

In a discussion with the editorial board of the Huntsville Times this week, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) credited his colleague, Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), for ensuring that NASA Marshall Space Flight Center would have a leading role in the new exploration plan through the development of an heavy-lift launch vehicle (HLV) in the authorization bill […]

Still scavenging for shuttles

With the NASA authorization bill complete, members of Congress are turning their attention to other space-related matters–including, it seems, making their case to win one of the space shuttles when the fleet is retired next year. The authorization bill contains this relevant passage in section 603:

Upon the termination of the Space Shuttle program […]

NASA’s new future is already beginning

NASA is currently in a period of transition that goes beyond the retirement of the shuttle, end of Constellation (at least in its original incarnation), and introduction of elements of the agency’s new exploration strategy. While the NASA authorization bill passed by Congress late Wednesday night (and not yet signed into law by the president) […]

More Congressional reaction to the NASA bill passage

The passage of S.3729, the NASA authorization bill, by the House, has elicited a broad range of reactions, even among members of the same party from the same state. “While I am by no means satisfied with the Senate version, I voted in support of it when it was presented today before the House because […]

Reaction to the House vote

The final recorded vote for S.3729 in the House last night is available. There aren’t too many surprises in who voted for or against the bill; in addition to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who spoke out against the bill on the House floor, some Ohio representatives, including Dennis Kucinich (D) and Steven LaTourette (R), who had […]

The debate over the NASA bill, and its passage [updated]

Update 11:45 pm: The House did pass the bill in a recorded vote by well over the two-thirds margin needed: 304-118.

For about 45 minutes this evening the House debated S. 3729, the NASA authorization bill. Because the bill is taken up under suspension of the rules, the debate was relatively streamlined, with no opportunity […]