05-06-2012 23:45 The 2012 event is showcased by NASA TV.

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It appears that SpaceX's success with the Dragon spacecraft has won some much-needed space in the US House of Representatives. Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA) announced Tuesday that his office reached a truce with NASA regarding the Commercial Crew program. Under the agreement, Wolf will lower his opposition to Commercial Crew and hopefully help NASA gain better funding.

Wolf chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, which controls NASA's budget. His subcommittee has consistently hit the Commercial Crew Development program (CCDev) with heavy cuts. NASA Administrator Bolden has stated that the cuts have delayed access to the Space Station by American vehicles by at least a year, with this year's cuts expected to delay American access again. In hearings, some of Wolf's subcommittee members have seemed intent on using the coming Space Launch System (SLS) to ferry astronauts to the Space Station, even though this service would come at a price that's about ten times higher.

In April, Wolf included language in the 2013 spending bill's accompanying report that stopped just short of requiring NASA to drop its Commercial Crew competition. Wolf wanted NASA to immediately downsize the program from the current four competitors to either a single "competitor" or a well-funded leader and a weakly funded follower. Commercial space backers have worried that the language would succeed in essentially discontinuing CCDev, given that similar tactics have been used in the Senate.

One fear was that new commercial space companies would be swept away and the job of ferrying astronauts would be given to Boeing, one of the two traditional contractors. The other usual contractor, Lockheed-Martin, is already signed on for NASA's Orion spacecraft. Because the US government is still the only major customer for ferrying humans to orbit, development of a more competitive space industry could be severely curtailed.

On the other hand, support for the newcomers in the commercial space industry has been growing. The topsy-turvy situation, in which Democrats support a new private space industry and Republicans fiercely oppose it, has been questioned on the Republican side, and the recent berthing of the first commercial space capsule with the International Space Station appears to have finally turned the tide. Several members of Wolf's subcommittee who were recalcitrant before the Dragon mission have since made positive announcements. With more tests and launches coming later in the year, Wolf appears to have cut a deal before sentiments shifted again.

Wolf's announcement suggests a compromise agreement wherein Wolf will basically back off of his report's language in return for NASA agreeing to chop CCDev down to two-and-a-half funded competitors (two full awards and one partial award) rather than four. Wolf would back a NASA budget that more closely matched the current Senate funding level, which is slightly more than what his committee recommended on the House side. More importantly, he would not push for language in the new law to require the downselect to a single launch provider.

Other requirements of the agreement, laid out in a letter from Wolf to Bolden, include the following:

All of this language is somewhat strange because NASA is already doing most of this. Because Congress chopped its 2013 budget request for CCDev again this year, it seemed likely that NASA would not be able to sustain four competitors anyway. The agency had also announced that it would be transitioning to FARS for general acquisitions, and it already collects financial information on the four competitors. And export controls already prevent shipping of any kind of rocket technology overseas. Accordingly, it doesn't seem like Wolf is really getting anything new.

Wolf's office also provided a link to a letter Administrator Bolden wrote in reply, thanking him for his trust. In the letter, Bolden stipulates that if Wolf wants American vehicles taking astronauts to the International Space Station sooner, the funding Wolf's committee cut from NASA's budget request needs to be restored.

That could actually happen. It's entirely possible that NASA's budget bill will be punted to next year because of the elections, and Congress will pass a continuing resolution instead. In a longshot scenario, additional money would be added to that bill if enough support is present in Congress to get it done. Whether or not the funding is restored, it does seem that SpaceX's victory is yielding some tangible political payoffs for NASA as well.

Excerpt from:

NASA's Commercial Crew gains support in Congress

Synopsis - Jun 06, 2012

General Information

Solicitation Number: NNC12ZRB025L Posted Date: Jun 06, 2012 FedBizOpps Posted Date: Jun 06, 2012 Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action: No Original Response Date: Jul 20, 2012 Current Response Date: Jul 20, 2012 Classification Code: A -- Research and Development NAICS Code: 541711

Contracting Office Address

NASA/Glenn Research Center, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH 44135

Description

This notice is issued by the NASA/GRC to post a request for partners via the internet, and solicit responses from interested parties. This document is for information and planning purposes and to allow industry the opportunity to verify reasonableness and feasibility of the requirement, as well as promote competition.

This presolicitation synopsis is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government pay for the information submitted in response. Respondents will not be notified of the results.

NASA Clause 1852.215-84, Ombudsman, is applicable. The Center Ombudsman for this acquisition can be found at http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/pub/pub_library/Omb.html .

The solicitation and any documents related to this procurement will be available over the Internet. These documents will reside on a World Wide Web (WWW) server, which may be accessed using a WWW browser application. The Internet site, or URL, for the NASA/GRC Business Opportunities home page is http://prod.nais.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/eps/bizops.cgi?gr=D&pin=22 It is the offeror's responsibility to monitor the Internet cite for the release of the solicitation and amendments (if any). Potential offerors will be responsible for downloading their own copy of the solicitation and amendments, if any.

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NASA GRC Solicitation: Seeking Partners for Science Investigations and Research Activities

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) (pictured, left), chairman of the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations subcommittee, said Tuesday he had reached an agreement with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden (pictured, right) regarding the future of the commercial crew program.

Wolf said the country needs an exceptional program to return American astronauts to the moon, and ultimately beyond. Space, he said, is the ultimate high ground for a nation and will play an increasingly critical role in our national security and economic growth in the 21st Century.

"Given recent advances in space capabilities by foreign competitors, it is essential that the U.S. move quickly to restore its domestic crew access to the International Space Station (ISS) and focus on the successful completion of our unique exploration systems, including the Space Launch System and Orion crew vehicle," Wolf said in a statement. "During this current gap in U.S. access to both low earth orbit and beyond, it is imperative that NASA focus its limited resources on these critical human spaceflight missions.

"For these reasons, I have had serious concerns about NASAs management of the commercial crew program over the last two years. That is why I included language in the report accompanying the fiscal year 2013 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations bill, H.R. 5326, to address these concerns and direct a new management paradigm for the program. I remain convinced that the approach outlined in the committees report is the most appropriate way forward for the program.

"However, in an effort to prevent any disruption in the development of crew vehicles to return U.S. astronauts to ISS as quickly as possible, I have reached an understanding with NASA Administrator Bolden in an exchange of letters that will allow the upcoming Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCAP) phase to proceed under a revised, more limited management roadmap and with an fiscal year 2013 funding level at or near the Senate Appropriations Committee-approved amount. As part of this understanding, NASA and the committee have affirmed that the primary objective of the commercial crew program is achieving the fastest, safest and most cost-effective means of domestic access to the ISS, not the creation of a commercial crew industry." Wolf said NASA agreed to reduce the number of awards anticipated to be made this summer from the 4 awards made under commercial crew development round 2 to not more than 2.5 (two full and one partial) CCiCAP awards. He said the change would reduce taxpayer exposure by "concentrating funds on those participants who are most likely to be chosen to eventually provide service to ISS."

NASA also has stated that, after the CCiCAP phase, future program funding will only come in the form of FAR-based certification and service contracts. Further, to help prevent a problematic logistical choke point at the beginning of the certification phase, NASA will also produce an important new procurement strategy for awarding these FAR-based contracts, which will be substantively complete prior to the awarding of CCiCAP funds. The Congressman said NASA assured him that it will carefully examine commercial crew participants financial health and viability before providing CCiCAP funds, and ensure the government's first right of refusal to acquire property developed under or acquired as part of the commercial crew program at a price that reflects the taxpayers existing investment in its development.

"Should any of NASAs plans and intentions change from what was agreed to in the exchange of letters, I will reevaluate the situation," Wolf said. "I will continue to follow up with NASA to monitor the implementation of these understandings in fiscal year 2012 both through committee actions and through appropriate outside oversight and to ensure that these principles are reflected in any final appropriations legislation for fiscal year 2013."

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (pictured), the senior Republican on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science, praised the announcement made by Representative Wolf. I had previously called for NASA to down-select from four potential commercial providers to the top two firms. Todays announcement follows that prescription and is welcome news. This is an important turning point that should keep development of commercial crew capability on schedule and on budget, and assure that NASA will also have the financial and human resources it needs to move forward with developing heavy launch capabilities for deep space exploration. We should have two goals: To ensure full manned access to the space station that utilizes the investment made in that unique microgravity laboratory and to reach our nations next horizon in space exploration beyond low earth orbit. Both of these goals can be achieved if we invest taxpayer dollars wisely and take advantage of the years of invaluable experience developed within NASA."

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NASA, Congressman Agree On Future Of The Commercial Crew Program

HOUSTON -- NASA astronaut and commander for the 16th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO), Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger, will be available for live satellite interviews while performing a simulated spacewalk under water. The interviews will take place between 8:45 and 9:45 a.m. EDT June 15. NASA will also host a media day June 21 in Key Largo, Fla.

NEEMO sends groups of NASA employees and contractors to live for 12 days, 63 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Aquarius lab. The laboratory is located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in Key Largo. For NASA, Aquarius provides a convincing analog to space exploration, and NEEMO crew members experience some of the same tasks and challenges under water as they would in space.

This year's NEEMO expedition begins June 11 and will simulate a mission to an asteroid. The mission will focus on three areas -- communication delays, restraint and translation techniques and optimum crew size. Metcalf-Lindenburger will be joined by European Space Agency astronaut Timothy Peake; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Kimiya Yui; and Steven W. Squyres, Goldwin Smith professor of astronomy at Cornell University and chairman of the NASA Advisory Council. Squyres also was a member of NEEMO 15.

Journalists are invited to a media day where they will have the opportunity to tour the Mobile Mission Control Center, interview scientists and engineers involved in the mission and take part in a remote news conference with the NEEMO crew members who will be aboard Aquarius. The NASA Live Interview Media Service (LIMS) satellite will be used for the underwater interviews. The NASA producer will provide confirmed clients with LIMS satellite parameters.

The interviews also will be simulcast on NASA Television, which can be viewed by those not participating.

To request a slot in the underwater interviews with Metcalf-Lindenburger or to participate in the media day activities, reporters must contact Brandi Dean at brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov by 5 p.m. CDT (6 p.m. EDT) on Wednesday, June 13.

The NEEMO mission is sponsored by NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Program.

For more information about NEEMO and the crew, and links to follow the mission on Facebook and Twitter, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/neemo

For NASA TV downlink, schedule and streaming video information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

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NASA’s collection of space telescopes just got a bit bigger thanks to an extraordinary gift from America's National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) intelligence agency. The space agency announced on Monday that the NRO has given it two surplus spy satellites that are more advanced than the Hubble Space Telescope. If the money can be found for a mission for the spy “birds” then NASA will not only ...

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