Three Senate Amigos: Our NASA Bill Rock(et)s!

Florida Senator Bill Nelson

Senators Jay Rockefeller IV, Kay Bailey Hutchison and Bill Nelson, put out press releases this week praising themselves and the NASA funding bill that passed the Senate this week. All three of them had key roles in crafting the legislation.

“This bill offers a blueprint to move America’s civilian space program forward in a smart, fiscally responsible way,” Rockefeller said. “We’ve had to take a clear, hard look at what we want from NASA in the years and decades to come. We’ve asked the tough questions. The result is a truly bipartisan bill that will help refocus and reinvigorate the agency, while making key investments in aeronautics, science, and education. I’m proud the Senate has moved it one step closer to becoming law.”

Bailey echoed those sentiments in her statement.

“Senate passage of this comprehensive legislation is a critical milestone that will boost America’s human spaceflight program,” Hutchison said. “By embracing this bipartisan vision for the future of NASA, the Senate has spoken with a unified voice. I encourage my colleagues in the House to take up this crucial bill in order to get NASA on track to continue its proud heritage of innovation and exploration.”

Nelson, the Florida Democrat who spearheaded the bill, said the funding measure strikes a good balance:

The legislation provides over a billion dollars to support a White House proposal to fund development of commercial space ventures. At the same time it emphasizes a NASA-led project to develop the next generation of big rockets that will carry future space ships and crews into orbit where they’ll be launched toward Mars and elsewhere. The bill directs NASA to start development immediately rather than waiting until 2015 to begin.

“The goal was to preserve U.S. leadership in space exploration and keep as much of the rocket-industry talent as possible employed,” said Nelson, following Thursday’s unanimous approval of the authorization bill.

In broad terms, the legislation extends the space shuttle for another year and keeps much of the KSC workforce in place. It advances heavy-lift rocket development, with an eye toward manned flights nearly a decade earlier than 2025, as had been proposed by the White House. It also provides the money for operating the International Space Station through 2020. And, it bolsters commercial space ventures by allocating about $1.6 billion for development in the next three years.

The bill must be reconciled with a much different House funding measure before anything is sent to the President for his approval.

Below are the key aspects of the funding bill as described in Sen. Nelson’s statement.

Key Elements of the NASA Authorization Act of 2010:

• Authorization of Appropriations – Largely in-line with the President’s fiscal year 2011 budget request to Congress; the bill would authorize fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2013 appropriations for NASA.

• Science and Aeronautics – The bill protects a balanced portfolio for NASA, including full funding of aeronautics, Earth and space science, and education, as proposed by the President.

• Space Technology – Investments in technology and robotic capabilities are tied to mission-driven goals and support U.S. innovation and competitiveness.

• Education – The bill supports new education initiatives such as teacher training programs; and increases the investment in the NASA EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) and NASA Space Grant program.

• Human Space Flight – The bill couples efforts to national and global needs and challenges; provides a sustainable exploration program with new technologies and in-space capabilities; and future exploration builds off of the workforce, assets, and capabilities of the Space Shuttle and other efforts.

• Shuttle Retirement and final “Launch on Need” Mission – The bill authorizes one last Shuttle flight, based on an independent safety review, to provide necessary support for the extension of the International Space Station.

• International Space Station – The bill extends the Station to at least 2020, which is important for international and commercial collaboration and growth, research, and technology development; and maximizes the scientific return on the significant investment in the Station.

• Commercial Cargo and Crew – If the industry develops as envisioned, this should provide cheaper access to the International Space Station and relieve the U.S. reliance on Russian partners for access to the Station after the Shuttle retires; a strong focus on milestones will reduce risk and assure astronaut safety.