Washington Updates

G. Ryan Faith, who has joined the Space Foundation as a research analyst, wrote extensively about space policy, and human spaceflight in particular, during his years at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. As a program manager for space initiatives at CSIS, he worked with the Space Foundation on a…

The Space Foundation has expressed its approval of the Sept. 29 passage of FY2011 NASA Authorization, S. 3729, by the House of Representatives. The bill is a Senate-enacted roadmap that establishes a clear path forward for the nation’s space agency. “America’s civil space program has been in costly and divisive turmoil since Congress received the President’s…

The Space Foundation is participating in the USA Science & Engineering Festival’s Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Oct. 23-24. The two-day Expo, which is the culmination of 15-day event, will feature more than 500 science and engineering organizations from across the United States presenting hands-on, fun science activities to inspire the next generation of scientists…

On Sept. 16, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2011 Defense Appropriations bill, S. 3800, which added $44.4 million to the Department of Defense (DoD) ‘s $94 million request for the Operationally Responsive Space Office to fund responsive space launch capabilities. The bill zeroed out the Air Force’s $325.5 million request for National…

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would implement treaties with the United Kingdom (Treaty Doc 110-7) and Australia (Treaty Doc 110-10) that cover international arms sales. S. 3847, which has already passed the Senate, cleared the House on Sept. 28 and will now go to the President’s desk for signature. The treaties,…

On Sept. 29, the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 2701, the Senate version of the FY 2010 Intelligence Authorization. The legislation authorizes funding for FY 2010 for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), and other…