Other « Space Politics

Peter Teets retires

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 18 at 12:45 pm ET

Earlier this week I noted that a Senate hearing would likely be one of the last where Peter Teets, the acting Air Force secretary and director of the NRO, would appear. That indeed is the case: the Defense Department announced today that Teets has submitted his resignation, effective a week from today. Teets had been […]

Fighting (perceived) center closings

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 18 at 7:52 am ET

NASA officials have stated on a number of occasions that they have no plans right now to close one or more of its field centers; instead, current efforts are focused on closing specific facilities at those centers. That, however, hasn’t stopped people from taking preemptive action to fight potential center closings.

The AP reported yesterday […]

Japanese space policy

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 17 at 7:42 am ET

The Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun reports that the Japanese government is considering a rather bold new space policy for that country that would include manned space flights. (Perhaps the headline “JAXA seeks to bodily go” is really a pun rather than a typo. Then again, maybe not.) The plan, scheduled for approval later this month, […]

More prize lobbying

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 11 at 8:34 am ET

The Space Frontier Foundation issued a press release Thursday about Centennial Challenges, NASA’s prize program. The Foundation would like to see NASA and Congress increase the program’s FY06 funding from the current proposal of $34 million to $200 million, although they don’t specify what types of prizes they would like to see the additional funding […]

Spring break

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 10 at 4:57 am ET

Posting will be light here through the weekend, as I’m going out of town on a short “vacation”.

What does an earmark look like?

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 9 at 7:45 am ET

It’s 12 meters across, encased in a protective dome, and located in the heart of a North Carolina forest. It’s a radio telescope at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute that was formerly part of a satellite tracking network but is now being converted into an educational facility. It’s also the recipient of a $1 million […]

Better late than never

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 8 at 7:31 am ET

The Coalition for Space Exploration issued a press release Monday endorsing the FY2006 NASA budget proposal, which it calls “the responsible and appropriate level of funding necessary to maintain a balance with other national priorities, and reflects a clear set of priorities within the space agency.” The timing is a bit odd, since it comes […]

Florida space policy

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 7 at 6:25 am ET

In a Sunday editorial, Florida Today argues that the state legislature needs to “embrace Spaceport Florida Authority’s strategy for the future” to ensure the stat’s standing in the space industry given the coming end of the space shuttle program and other changes influenced by the Vision for Space Exploration. That strategy ranges from research grants […]

Vision checkup

By Jeff Foust on 2005 March 3 at 6:26 am ET

Women in Aerospace is holding a panel session tonight titled “The Vision for Space Exploration: Where are we now?” The panelists include:

Michelle Burkett, House Appropriations Committee Mary Kicza, NASA Michelle Robbins, Lockheed Martin Pam Whitney (moderator), National Research Council

The event starts 6 pm (networking at 5:30) at 2325 Rayburn House Office Building. It’s […]

Problems for Kepler?

By Jeff Foust on 2005 February 27 at 11:12 am ET

In a column in Sunday’s Naples (Fla.) Daily News (free registration required), Ben Bova covers familiar ground regarding the Hubble Space Telescope. However, he adds that Kepler, a Discovery-class mission to search for extrasolar planets, may also be endangered. He notes that between $35 and $50 million will be cut from the program in NASA’s […]

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