Report from Washington, D.C.
Ruppersberger Supports Return to the Moon
Despite 50 years of strength and our current position of technological leadership in space, Congressman C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-MD) said our space program is slipping. Speaking at the 27th National Space Symposium, Ruppersberger said that, between policy and budgetary uncertainty, the future is unclear. He said we must address four areas to reorient and refocus…
New Generation Program Focuses on Washington
The Space Foundation’s New Generation Space Leaders Initiative continued to grow at the 27th National Space Symposium with almost 150 young space professionals attending specialized programs. The New Generation Initiatives featured a full week of events that kicked off on April 11 with the popular “speed mentoring” New Generation Leadership Exchange. During the exchange, up-and-coming…
Day-by-Day Update on D.C. Activities
April 11 The Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee held a hearing on NASA’s FY 2012 budget request. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told lawmakers that, in the current tough fiscal environment, the space agency would have to push back the launch date of several missions. For example, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) had…
NASA and USAID Work Together on Earth Issues
NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a five-year memorandum of understanding that formalizes agency collaborations that use Earth science data to address developmental challenges, and to assist in disaster mitigation and humanitarian responses. The agreement also encourages NASA and USAID to apply geospatial technologies to solve development challenges affecting the…
NASA Budget Reviews Occupy D.C.
The House Science, Space & Technology Committee held a hearing March 2 on NASA’s FY 2012 budget request, which proposes $18.7 billion in funds for the space agency. Administrator Charles Bolden testified before the Committee. Members of Congress from both parties voiced their concerns that the funding priorities outlined in NASA’s budget request did not…
Congress Expresses EASE Support at Hearing
The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces held a hearing March 15 on the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Budget Request for National Security Space Activities. Witnesses included: The Honorable Erin Conaton, under secretary of the Air Force, U.S Department of Defense General William Shelton, commander, Air Force Space Command Ambassador Gregory Schulte, deputy…
Space Foundation Hosts Ambassador Schulte
On March 14, the Space Foundation hosted a breakfast briefing on the national security space strategy for Congress featuring Ambassador Gregory Schulte, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, who briefed attendees and fielded questions. Schulte outlined the strategy’s three major objectives: to maintain the advantages that space provides the U.S. to protect…
Russians Hike Cost of a Ride to $63 Million
According to a story from The Associated Press, the Russians are hiking the price of rocket rides again for U.S. astronauts – to nearly $63 million. The price goes up in 2014 for an astronaut to fly to and from the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. The previous contract charged just under…
Budget Request Proposes Freeze, Affects NASA, NOAA
President Barack Obama released his FY 2012 budget request to Congress on Feb. 14, proposing a freeze on non-security discretionary spending, which includes funds for NASA and NOAA. The $18.7 billion requested to fund NASA is the same amount the agency received in 2010 and is currently operating under. The Space Foundation’s analysis of the…
DoD Releases National Security Space Strategy
On Feb. 4 the Department of Defense (DoD) released its long-awaited 10-year National Security Space Strategy (NSSS), which, according to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, “represents a significant departure from past practice” with a pragmatic approach to maintain advantages derived from space while confronting the new challenges of an increasingly “congested, contested and competitive” space…