Washington Updates

As a result of the midterm elections in November, there will be at least 93 new Representatives and 16 new Senators in the 112th Congress. Republicans picked up at least 60 seats in the House of Representatives, enough to give them the majority in the 112th Congress. In the Senate, Republicans picked up six seats to…

The Senate Armed Service Committee held a hearing on Nov.18 on President Barack Obama’s nomination of Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler to lead U.S. Strategic Command, based at Offutt AFB, Neb. During the hearing, Kehler outlined his top four priorities as commander, if confirmed: Provide a safe, secure and effective strategic nuclear force to provide strategic deterrence for…

President Barack Obama signed the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 into law last month.  Now, Congressional appropriators must pass the NASA appropriations bill after they return from the 2010 mid-term elections in November. October Washington activity touched on disaster preparation, international outreach, commercial contracts and a critical confirmation : The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy…

Tracking how the upcoming elections could affect space policy is a daunting task. To help companies and individuals keep track of potential impact on committees and positions in Congress that oversee space policy, the Space Foundation has prepared a document that lists all the U.S. House and Senate members running for reelection who sit on…

On a beautiful fall weekend in October nearly 200,000 people crowded The National Mall in Washington, D.C. to learn more about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education. The USA Science & Engineering Festival, hosted by Lockheed Martin, was the country’s first national science festival. It opened Oct. 10 with a concert of science songs…

Brendan Curry, vice president – Washington Operations, represented the Space Foundation in October at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) in New Mexico. Curry was part of a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities of implementing the new U.S. space policy. His comments covered:  Areas where there could be new commercial space…