A two-part video interview with me that was conducted by last month during the Space Access ’11 Conference in Phoenix has been posted. You can view the videos at Moonandback.com here and here.
The White House and Congress is having a Constitutional tussle over an effort by lawmakers to prohibit any cooperation between NASA and China on space without the the legislature’s specific approval. Science Now explains that the conflict pits the Obama Administration’s prerogative to conduct foreign policy vs. Congress’s power of the purse:
The ban is part of the 2011 budget approved last month to avert a government shutdown. It was crafted by Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA), a fierce critic of China who chairs a House spending committee that oversees several science agencies. The ban says that no funds can be used by NASA or the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) “to develop, design, plan, promulgate, implement or execute a bilateral policy, program, order, or contract of any kind to participate, collaborate, or coordinate bilaterally in any way with China or any Chinese-owned company.” It also prevents any NASA facility from hosting “official Chinese visitors.”
Appearing today before that panel to defend the Administration’s 2012 budget request for science, presidential advisor John Holdren told Wolf that, in effect, the ban doesn’t apply to the president’s ability to conduct foreign policy. That authority, Holdren explained, extends to a bilateral agreement on scientific cooperation that Holdren and China’s science minister signed in January that builds upon a 1979 pact that has spawned activities between many U.S. agencies and their Chinese counterparts.
Space policy analyst Marcia Smith has a detailed account of George Nield’s testimony before a House subcommittee. It seems that the director of the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (ATST) ran into some skepticism from lawmakers when he pitched a 74% increase in his office’s budget.
Russian engineers have completed certification of the new 30-ton thrust RD-0124 engine that will be used as an upper stage on the Soyuz-2-1b and Angara rockets. Chief Designer Vladimir Rachuk told Russian media: “During the tests at different modes, the ratio of the fuel components and in various ranges of rods, including exceeding the performance requirements, engine RD-0124 has shown its efficiency and reliability”. Total “was conducted 225 fire tests […]
NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver is given a tour of the Bigelow Aerospace facilities by the company's President Robert Bigelow on Friday, Feb. 4, 2011, in Las Vegas. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Bigelow Tests Life Support System
Space News
Bigelow Aerospace completed an initial closed-loop test in March of a prototype environmental control and life support (ECLS) system designed to support extended crew stays inside the inflatable habitats the company is building to provide research facilities and hotel accommodations in space.
NASA PR — NASA managers met Friday afternoon and determined space shuttle Endeavour will launch no earlier than Monday, May 16 at 8:56 a.m. EDT. This weekend, technicians will continue to repair and retest electrical circuitry that caused a postponement of Endeavour’s April 29 launch attempt. NASA will air a news conference Monday at 3 p.m., to discuss the status of the work. This afternoon, NASA will issue a news […]
NMSA PR — LAS CRUCES, NM – The New Mexico Spaceport Authority (NMSA) has selected a contractor to provide systems integration services to Spaceport America. B & D Industries, Inc., of Albuquerque, NM, was selected to configure, install and service the many technical systems and networks needed at the spaceport.
The final countdown before its maiden flight later this year has begun for Soyuz with a simulated launch campaign at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
This dry run ensures that the Soyuz and the new facilities work together perfectly, while allowing the teams to train under realistic launch conditions. It also validates all the procedures during the final phase before launch, except the fuelling of the vehicle.
SA PR — May 5 2011 — Today, Space Adventures, the only company that has provided human space missions to the global marketplace, outlined a forecast for commercial orbital spaceflight and announced details of how additional living space will be made available during the company’s planned circumlunar mission.
In testimony before the House on Thursday, FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation George C. Nield told lawmakers that his agency will need to expand its authority in the years ahead to keep up with the growing private spaceflight sector: In the coming months and years, it may be necessary to revisit some of the statutes and regulations that govern the commercial space launch activities of the FAA. Specifically, […]
PRESS RELEASE — Xtraordinary Adventures, LLC, a newly formed space travel agency located in Boca Raton, Florida, has updated their website. Mitchell J Schultz, Space Tourism Specialist, avid space enthusiast, adventurer and world traveler, as its director, created an informative website at https://www.XtraordinaryAdventures.com representing RocketShip Tours, the exclusive agent for XCOR’s Lynx space plane.
FAA Associate Administrator for Commercial Space Transportation George Nield testified today about the agency’s proposed FY 2012 budget before the House Committee on Science’s Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. Key highlights from his prepared statement include:
- $26.6 million overall budget for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation
- 103 full-time employees
- $1.2 million and 14 full-time positions “to develop and implement additional safety processes and requirements specifically for commercial human spaceflight and the FAA’s efforts to improve spaceflight safety”
- $5 million and 50 positions for a new Commercial Spaceflight Technical Center to be located at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
- $5 million for the Low-Cost Access to Space Incentive to award to “the first non-governmental team to develop and demonstrate the capability to launch a 1-kilogram cubesat to orbit using a partially reusable launch system.”