News NASA's Future: The News and Updates Thread

[Orbinaut Pete]

SpaceRef: "Kosmas Successful in Fight for Additional Shuttle Mission".
:thumbup: :speakcool: :10sign: :11sign: :woohoo:


NASA Watch: "Webb Team Has CR Worries".

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Orlando Sentinel: "Senate compromise may be setting up NASA for another failure".

Space Travel: "House Committee Sets Realistic And Sustainable Path For NASA".

 

[anemazoso]

NASA Watch: "Here We Go Again: Do More With Less"

Days before the compromise was announced, NASA chief Charlie Bolden and Deputy Lori Garver told its two champions -- U.S. Sens. Bill Nelson, D-Florida and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas -- that NASA could not finish the proposed new rocket before 2020, according to three sources present at the meetings.

What about the side mount? What about just using Delta IV heavy? This is all a bunch of nonsence! What ever happened to the "Can-Do" American spirit!!! To many poeple use the word can't (or some variation) way too much these days.

Politics and agency turf wars need to be removed from this debate or we are going to sit around watching another decade go by with no progress.

:facepalm:

EDIT: Sorry, just noticed the Orlando Sentinel article linked on NASA Wacth was already posted.

 

[Urwumpe]

"Can do" is one thing another of the space race was always "No bucks, no buck rogers".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Committee Approves Three-Year Authorization That Sets Realistic, Sustainable Path for NASA.

Spaceflight Now: "Competing NASA bills on collision course in Congress".

Space Politics: "Senate committee makes quick work of NASA appropriations bill".

Congressman Pete Olson: "Olson applauds committee action on NASA authorization bill".

SpaceRef: "NASA Legislation Embraced by Appropriations Committee Presents Unified Senate Position on Space".

SpaceRef: "AIA Statement Urging Congress to Pass NASA Authorization Act of 2010".

Houston Chronicle: "House committee action could spell relief for NASA's JSC".

Florida Today: "House aligns for one more shuttle flight".


SpaceRef: "House Committee supports full competition on shuttle decision".

Florida Today: "KSC bid for orbiter hits snag in House".

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Some more articles:

SPACE.com: "Senate Panel Cuts Commercial Spaceship Funding for NASA".

Space Politics: "House committee approves authorization bill with some changes".

CNN: "What will inspire tomorrow's rocket scientists?".

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Via SpacePolicyOnline:


Markup Info for NASA, NOAA bills from Yesterday.

Senate Appropriations Markup of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill for FY2011.
• Press Release.
• Audio of markup session.
• Committee report (S. Rept. 111-229).

House Science and Technology Committee Markup of NASA Authorization Bill.
• Press Release.
• Amendments that were adopted.
• Bill text (H.R. 5781) as introduced.

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AmericaSpace: "A Message From NASA's Administrator".

 

[SiberianTiger]

Orbinaut Pete, is this how much you can read in one day?? :facepalm:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Orbinaut Pete, is this how much you can read in one day?? :facepalm:

I never said I read all of them, I just come across them/get them sent to me & I post them for people that do!

I didn't know that we had a new :facepalm: smiley!

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Ha, did anyone really expect these guys to die quietly? Time for round II...

Space Politics: "Commercial space advocates regroup".

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Florida Today: "Shuttle shutdown could launch sales of collectibles".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

SpaceRef: "GAO: NASA Constellation Program and Appropriations Restrictions, Part II B-320091, July 23, 2010".

Orlando Sentinel's "The Write Stuff" Blog: "NASA did not illegally try to kill Constellation, watchdog finds".

Florida Today's "The Flame Trench" Blog: "GAO: NASA's Constellation plans didn't violate law".

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Looks like we've found a use for commercial space! :yes:

SpacePolicyOnline: "CSIS Releases Report on the Relationship Between National Security and the Commercial Space Sector".

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Spaceflight Now: "GAO finds Constellation slowdown is within the law".

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NASA Watch: "Getting Out of the Gravity Well on One Thin Dime".

Florida Today: "Moon contract policy doesn't violate rules".

Florida Today: "Politics guides NASA future".

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Florida Today's "The Flame Trench" Blog: "USA giving notice to employees losing jobs this fall".

 

[Star Voyager]

I know a lot of people getting laid off (some of whom(?) they already knew about it way before the notice).

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

I know a lot of people getting laid off (some of whom(?) they already knew about it way before the notice).

I can't believe they're still laying people off - surely they should wait until NASA's future becomes "official" before they lay more people off? There are still some fairly powerful people in Congress (Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison) who want a Shuttle extension until new commercial spacecraft are fully operational (which could mean an extension into 2014 or later).

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More on the CSIS report:

Space News: "New Report Urges U.S. To Overhaul Launch Policies".

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Space News: "Wolf: Prospects Bleak for Timely Passage of NASA Spending Bill".

Space Policy Online: "Wolf: U.S. Must Be Number One in Space, Not Cooperate with China".


SpaceRef: "CSF Welcomes New Members".


Popular Mechanics: "Is NASA Being Set Up To Fail (Again)? Analysis".

 

[Star Voyager]

Just got an e-mail from a contact at USA: she says her job is safe until Christmas. I'll call around later in the week to see if anyone else I know is being let go (sooner or later).

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Florida Today: "USA workers on notice".

SPACE.com: "More Than 1,300 Space Shuttle Workers Get Layoff Notices".


Space Politics: "Wolf makes few predictions about the NASA appropriations process".

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Space Policy Online: "Congress Sends FY2010 Supplemental to the President, Constellation Language Included".

Florida Today's "The Flame Trench" Blog: "Supplemental war bill includes NASA provision on Constellation".

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Space Politics: "House approves Constellation language, but does it still matter?".


Space News: "NASA Bill Headed for Vote in House".

Space Politics: "House to take up authorization bill this week after all".


Space Politics: "SpaceX, suborbital advocates fight NASA authorization bill".

Space News: "Commercial Space Advocates Rally To Stall NASA Authorization Bill".

Florida Today's "The Flame Trench" Blog: "SpaceX rallies opposition to House NASA bill".

SpaceRef: "Your Help Urgently Needed to Save the Future of Human Spaceflight".


The Huntsville Times: "NASA didn't break the law, but did it break its promise to contractors?".


Houston Chronicle's/Eric Berger's "SciGuy" Blog: "So the Aggies want a space shuttle ...".

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A funny (and sadly true) cartoon:

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Discovery News: "Stealth Funding for NASA's Constellation".

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Check out this awesome NASA commercial - this is exactly what NASA should mean & do!​

 

[RisingFury]

I just got a frantic email from SpaceX:

NASA’s Authorization bill (H.R. 5781) will be debated on the floor of the US House of Representatives tomorrow. Despite the imminent retirement of the Space Shuttle, H.R. 5781 authorizes over five times as many taxpayer dollars to fly NASA astronauts on the Russian Soyuz than it invests in developing an American commercial alternative, moreover at a time when jobs are sorely needed in the United States. Quite simply, this bill represents the sort of senseless pork politics that has driven our national debt to the point where our economy can barely service it.

No surprise that Musk is pissed... d0h! But... is it true?

The bill passed the House of Representatives and can be found here:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h5781rh.txt.pdf

A few extracts:
Money for NASA:
2011: 19 billion
2012: 19.45 billion
2013: 19.96 billion

Within the budget, money for COTS and for commercial crew activities:
2011: 14 million for COTS, 50 million for commercial crew activities
2012: 0 COTS (that I could find), 50 million for commercial crew activities
2013: 0 COTS, 50 million for commercial crew activities

I don't know what category the Soyuz falls into and what bits and pieces Musk might have omitted, to make the email scarier. So, if anyone's willing to take look at it, I'd be grateful


The bill is 110 pages long. I only read Title 1 - Authorization of appropriations, but interesting read

 

[Urwumpe]

Sounds fitting... each seat on Soyuz is 50 million USD. 150 million USD for COTS is not that much then.

 

[N_Molson]

Wow... at 50e6$ the seat, Russia makes an interesting profit... The whole Soyuz launch vehicle (capsule included) costs a lot less than that if I remember well) :hmm:

 

[Urwumpe]

Wow... at 50e6$ the seat, Russia makes an interesting profit... The whole Soyuz launch vehicle (capsule included) costs a lot less than that if I remember well) :hmm:

Well, if NASA does not want to pay the price, they could go to the competitors... :lol:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Space Politics: "HR 5781 schedule, and supporting the home team".

Space News: "Vote on NASA Bill Appears Unlikely Before September".

Space Politics: "More speak out about NASA authorization bill".

msnbc Cosmic Log: "Showdown over space policy".

Florida Today: "Musk: Support U.S. space builders".

DIRECT Team Urges House to Adopt Senate NASA Plan for 2011.

Space Access Update: "NASA Exploration Funding: An URGENT Call To Action".

The Planetary Society: "Planetary Society Urges Debate on NASA Authorization Bill".


Orlando Sentinel's "The Write Stuff" Blog: "Cabana: Challenges facing KSC not for the 'faint-hearted'".

Orlando Sentinel: "Space Center future will be bright – eventually, its director says".

Florida Today's "The Flame Trench" Blog: "Cabana: Challenging time ahead for KSC".

Florida Today: "KSC's Cabana sees space center comeback".

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Wow, lots of space policy stuff going on today!

Space Politics: "NASA authorization bill postponed, and other reaction".

SpaceRef: "IFPTE/AFGE Letter on NASA Authorization Act".

SpaceRef: "Lockheed Martin Commends Bi-Partisan Support for NASA FY 2011 Budget".

The Planetary Society Blog: "Update on the NASA Authorization Bill".


SPACE.com: "Hunt for Life's Building Blocks in Space Gets NASA Boost".


Space Policy Online: "NASA Plutonium Supplies Still in Jeopardy".


NASA Watch: "Bolden Is Operating In Cloaked Mode These Days".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

SPACE.com: "Ambitious Venus Mission Ideas Include Robots, Planes, Humans".

NASASpaceFlight: "MOD positioning for potential Flagship Technology Demonstrations role".

Pretty cool stuff! :thumbup: :speakcool:

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FYI, NASA legend [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_Hale"]Wayne Hale[/ame] is retiring today. The NASA brain drain continues.
Good luck to a great man.

Last Friday - last day! - at NASA. Last commute, last time to put on the office coffee, time to turn in the badge and move on.

3 NASA Flight Directors retiring today: Antares (Bob Castle), Arcturus (John Curry), and Turquoise (me). Our billets go to young people!

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Politico: "NASA bill stays grounded".

Space News: "Advocates Assess Legislative Setback for Commercial Space".

Florida Today's "The Flame Trench" Blog: "McCollum's Space Coast visit ends with space briefing".

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Houston Chronicle: "Private sector's role may expand in space travel".

Check out this really great interview of the now retired Wayne Hale by Eric Berger of the Houston Chronicle.
Houston Chronicle's/Eric Berger's "SciGuy" Blog: "Sunday conversation with Wayne Hale, a rarity, an engineer who is an extraordinary communicator".

 

[Star Voyager]

The US Air Force is trying a new AMR sccheduling strategy:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article...Trying+to+solve+the+rocket-launch+traffic+jam

and here's one helluva collector:

http://www.floridatoday.com/article...C-worker-amasses-collection-of-3-000-T-shirts