Many folks would like to see us back on the Moon and developing its resources.

Showing posts with label Human Space Flight Capability. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Human Space Flight Capability. Show all posts

Monday, May 17, 2010

NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate

The below article is interesting as are the comments about having to tack what you want passed onto some other proposal.  What a tangled web we weave in this game of politics.  Hmmmm, and if we didn't need $58.8 billion for the war in Afghanistan, there would be more available for human space exploration.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html
NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Order keeping it alive is added to must-pass bill funding the war
By STEWART M. POWELL
WASHINGTON BUREAU
May 13, 2010, 11:38PM

WASHINGTON — Backers of NASA's Constellation program scored a significant victory Thursday by winning the Senate Appropriations Committee's support to block the Obama administration from terminating any part of the $108 billion back-to-the-moon program before October.

And they did it by piggy-backing the restriction onto a must-pass wartime supplemental budget package involving combat dollars for Afghanistan.

Up until Thursday, the battle over NASA has largely been a political war of words — and this is the first time that a congressional committee has responded directly to President Barack Obama's NASA proposal since February, when the president declared the Constellation program should be shelved.

The maneuver was pushed by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Dallas and proposed by Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.

By including the language in a $58.8 billion budget supplemental to underwrite the costs of combat, Hutchison and her allies virtually assured that the restriction will be adopted by the full Senate and House and signed by Obama — because the costs of the Afghanistan war must be funded.

The language declares that NASA funds “shall be available to fund continued performance of Constellation contracts, and performance of such Constellation contracts may not be terminated for convenience by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Fiscal Year 2010.”

snip
-------------------------------------

Wonder how the above affects S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------
http://tinyurl.com/22rcbpp

Recent Press Releases
Hutchison: “America Demands More From President’s NASA Plan” Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991

snip
Senator Hutchison recently introduced legislation, the Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act (S. 3068), to address these concerns by allowing for the extension of the shuttle, if needed for station sustainability, at a reduced rate of two flights per year.  The bill would also authorize the accelerated development of a NASA-owned shuttle replacement, such as a shuttle-derived design using existing systems and capabilities and the current contractor work force.
snip
-------------------------------------
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
S. 3068: Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010
-------------------------------------

Thanks to you who are helping me keep score and watching which court the ball is in.
Keep your eye on the $$$.

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
Comments accepted here - http://lunar-update.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://tinyurl.com/27xhovn
Recent Press Releases
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
Joe Brenckle - Republican Press Office 202-224-3991
May 14 2010

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – Houston Chronicle

NASA's Constellation gets big boost in Senate
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7004353.html

snip
==============================================================
Reading about how items become law. - LRK -

"Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies" by John W. Kingdon
http://www.amazon.com/Agendas-Alternatives-Public-Policies-2nd/dp/0673523896

==============================================================
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/MarsWars-NASA-SP4410.pdf

 Mars Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Space Exploration Initiative, by Thor Hogan, NASA-SP4410, 2007, 194 pages [PDF 9.4 MB] [review]. The rise of Space Exploration Initiative (SEI) and its eventual demise represents one of the landmark episodes in the history of the American space program. The story of this failed initiative is one shaped by key protagonists and critical battles. It is a tale of organizational, cultural, and personal confrontation. Skirmishes involved the Space Council versus NASA, the White House versus congressional appropriators, and the Johnson Space Center versus the rest of the space agency, all seeking control of the national space policy
process.
http://www.nss.org/resources/library/spacepolicy/

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================

Thursday, March 04, 2010

Lawmakers produce Bill to extend shuttle to 2015, utilize CxP, advance HLV

If you are not going to blast off to go directly to the Moon, where might you launch to?
Would that be up, up, to LEO for another day?
Would there be time to play?
Should I stay?
What can I say?
Just another day.

Interesting comments at http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/ and the forum.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
Lawmakers produce Bill to extend shuttle to 2015, utilize CxP, advance HLV
http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2010/03/lawmakers-bill-extend-shuttle-2015-hlv/
March 3rd, 2010 by Chris Bergin

Senator Kay Hutchison – in conjunction with Representatives Suzanne
Kosmas and Bill Posey – has produced a 37 page Bill that proposes
major refinements to NASA’s FY2011 proposal, and NASA’s forward plan.
The Bill is centered around a shuttle extension to 2015, in support of
fully utilizing the International Space Station (ISS), along with
saving elements of Constellation – such as Orion and a Heavy Lift
Launcher (HLV).
-----------------------------------------------------
http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=20720.0
NASASpaceFlight.com

Forum > General discussion >
Augustine Review/Shuttle Extension/NASA Future Section >
Topic: Lawmakers produce Bill to extend shuttle to 2015, utilize CxP,
advance HLV
Lawmakers produce Bill to extend shuttle to 2015, utilize CxP, advance HLV
-----------------------------------------------------

If you want to follow what happens to this bill, here are some links.
- LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-3068
Overview
Sponsor:

Sen. Kay Hutchison [R-TX](no cosponsors)
Cosponsors:
Text:
The text of this legislation is not yet available on GovTrack. It may
not have been made available by the Government Printing Office
yet.Status:

Occurred: Introduced Mar 3, 2010
Occurred: Referred to Committee View Committee Assignments
Not Yet Occurred: Reported by Committee ...
Not Yet Occurred: Senate Vote ...
Not Yet Occurred: House Vote ...
Not Yet Occurred: Signed by President ...
This bill is in the first step in the legislative process. Introduced
bills and resolutions first go to committees that deliberate,
investigate, and revise them before they go to general debate. The
majority of bills and resolutions never make it out of committee.
[Last Updated: Mar 4, 2010 6:45AM]
Last Action:
Mar 3, 2010: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation.

-----------------------------------------------------

Also can be tracked here as it progresses.

-----------------------------------------------------
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s3068:
S.3068
Title: A bill to reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Human Space Flight Activities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Sen Hutchison, Kay Bailey [TX] (introduced 3/3/2010)
Cosponsors (None)
Latest Major Action: 3/3/2010 Referred to Senate committee. Status:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation.
-----------------------------------------------------

The Working Draft, 37 pages. - LRK -

-----------------------------------------------------
http://commerce.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=1cacb498-64bb-4fa3-a42e-d861e87700d5
[STAFF WORKING DRAFT]
MARCH 3, 2010
111TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION S. ——
To reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Human
Space Flight Activities, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH ——, 2010
Mrs. HUTCHISON (for herself, Mr. —————, and Mr. ————————
) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on ————————————

A BILL
To reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Human Space Flight Activities, and for other
purposes.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the
5 ‘‘Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhance
6 ment Act of 2010’’.

S:\WPSHR\LEGCNSL\XYWRITE\SCI10\SPACE.15
March 3, 2010 (2:09 p.m.)

snip
-----------------------------------------------------

So now you can follow the workings of the USA Congress and get a feel for what part of space we are going to or not.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
==============================================================
http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_SN_3068.html

* Article
* Discuss Article
* Edit Article
* History

S. 3068, The Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2010

S. 3068 would reauthorize the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration Human Space Flight Activities.

* Detailed Summary
* Status of the Legislation
* Points in Favor
* Points Against

Detailed Summary

(Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to provide a detailed
summary of the bill!)
Status of the Legislation

Latest Major Action: 3/3/2010: Referred to Senate committee. Status:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation.
Points in Favor

(Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to show why the bill should pass!)
Points Against

(Log in to edit the wiki and be the first to show why the bill should not pass!)

snip
==============================================================

WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

==============================================================