Space Industry CEOs Host Teleconference to Discuss President Obama's 2011 Budget Request for Expanded Role of Commercial Space

"The Next Step in Space Coalition and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, two organizations representing businesses, organizations, and people working to ensure the future of U.S. human spaceflight, today will hold a joint teleconference for members of the media. Top CEOs of the commercial spaceflight industry will provide comments on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) FY2011 Budget."

- Coalition for Space Exploration Awaits Collaboration between the White House and Congress on America's New Space Initiative and FY2011 Budget
- X PRIZE Foundation: NASA Budget Proposal Will Fuel Innovation and Investments in Game Changing Technology
- Commercial Spaceflight Federation Welcomes New NASA Human Spaceflight Plan, Congratulates Commercial Crew Development Winners

The reports on the “death” of America’s manned space program are greatly exaggerated.  Contrary to the opinions of some, I think the new budget proposal for NASA is a much-needed course correction that brings the agency back to a focus on its core strengths – research, development, and exploration.

Yes, the Constellation Program will be canceled. The Ares I and V booster rockets and the Orion crew exploration vehicle are going away. The Space Shuttle will be retired as scheduled.  In their place will be a robust commercial Low Earth Orbit capability built on the premise of multiple providers competing to provide NASA the best offer for services.  NASA will also fund a significant heavy-lift R&D program, likely based out of Marshall Space Flight Center, to develop “game changing” and affordable new rocket technologies.

Don’t just take my word for it, though.  Go look at the proposal for yourself.  NASA has posted it all to their website.

FY 2011 Budget Overview (PDF)

NASA – FY 2011 Budget Documents and Statements

At the top level, NASA is getting an overall increase of $6 billion over the next five years.  Rather than being a provider of launch services to itself, NASA will instead pursue an Exploration Research & Development strategy with three main prongs:

1. $7.8 billion over five years for technology demonstrators, including in-orbit refueling and storage.
2. $3.1 billion over five years for heavy-lift and propulsion R&D
3. $3.0 billion over five years for robotic precursor missions

The Technology Demonstrator program will evaluate such ‘critical path’ technologies as in-orbit propellant transfer and storage, inflatable
modules, automated/autonomous rendezvous and docking, and closed-loop life support systems.

The Heavy-Lift and Propulsion R&D will target “new approaches” to first-stage propulsion, advanced in-space propulsion, and “foundational” propulsion research.

The Robotic Precursor Missions will expand our practice of “scouting” locations for future manned exploration with new robotic missions to the Moon, Mars and its moon, the Lagrange points, and Near Earth asteroids.  Examples might include telerobotic demonstrators on the Moon and automated processing of lunar and/or asteroid local resources.

Additionally, NASA is committing to an extension of the ISS Program to 2020 with a budget increase of $2 billion over four years.  The Human Research Program itself will see a 42% budget increase and the National Laboratory function will be expanded.  In the interest of full disclosure, I will remind everyone that I support the ISS National Lab Office.

NASA is also investing $6 billion over the next five years in commercial cargo and human spaceflight vehicles.  While all such providers will be required to meet NASA’s safety standards, funds will be awarded through competitive allocations, instead of the cost-plus contracts so common today.

Earth and Climate Science missions, Planetary Science missions, Astrophysics, Heliophysics, Aeronautics, and Education will all be sustained at current levels or their budgets increased.

Before I moved to the ISS Program, I actually worked on the Constellation Program.  As Administrator Bolden himself said, they are some of the finest people I’ve ever had the privilege of working with and they did a heck of a job with often untenable constraints.

However, I do think Jim Kohlenberger from the Office of Science and Technology Policy was right when he said that we shouldn’t throw another $50 billion at an unsustainable program just because we already spent $9 billion on it.

I think this new proposal is exactly what the spaceflight community needs.  It’s a fundamental change in the way we operate and a kickstart to really start innovating again.  This is not “Apollo on steroids,” nor should it be.  We don’t have the budget for that and we never did.  We have to learn to adapt or get out of the way of those who can.  I’m excited to see what we can accomplish.

Again, don’t just take my word for it.  Check out what Buzz Aldrin has to say.

Today I wish to endorse strongly the President’s new direction for NASA. As an Apollo astronaut, I know the importance of always pushing new frontiers as we explore space. The truth is, that we have already been to the Moon – some 40 years ago. A near-term focus on lowering the cost of access to space and on developing key, cutting-edge technologies to take us further, faster, is just what our Nation needs to maintain its position as the leader in space exploration for the rest of this century. We need to be in this for the long haul, and this program will allow us to again be pushing the boundaries to achieve new and challenging things beyond Earth. I hope NASA will embrace this new direction as much as I do, and help us all continue to use space exploration to drive prosperity and innovation right here on Earth.

I also believe the steps we will be taking following the President’s direction will best position NASA and other space agencies to send humans to Mars and other exciting destinations as quickly as possible. To do that, we will need to support many types of game-changing technologies NASA and its partners will be developing. Mars is the next frontier for humankind, and NASA will be leading the way there if we aggressively support the President’s plans.

Finally, I am excited to think that the development of commercial capabilities to send humans into low earth orbit will likely result in so many more earthlings being able to experience the transformative power of spaceflight. I can personally attest to the fact that the experience results in a different perspective on life on Earth, and on our future as a species. I applaud the President for working to make this dream a reality.

There will be more than enough work to go around for all the centers, so we shouldn’t let parochial concerns stop us from doing the right thing for the country as a whole.  We have an opportunity here to really make some progress on transforming humanity into a spacefaring species with a sustainable presence in space.  Let’s not waste it.
Cross-posted at A World With No Boundaries.

The Obama Space Vision for NASA: Massive Paradigm Shifts Ahead

"In announcing its $19.0 billion FY 2011 NASA budget today, the Obama Administration has made it very clear that it intends to attempt a paradigm shift in the way that America explores and utilizes space. The current plan NASA is following will be cancelled. But the intent to explore will remain and will be reconfigured into a new plan that openly taps private sector creativity while making certain that the taxpaying public is involved in an unprecedented fashion.

This plan for change comes with additional funds - to the tune of an additional $6 billion over FY 2011 to FY 2015 when compared to what the FY 2010 budget anticipated - approximately $700 million of which will appear in FY 2011. That means that NASA will get $100 billion over the next 5 years according to the White House's plans.

In so doing, the White House is hoping to make a clean break with much of the old way of doing things at NASA. As they do, NASA will be pushed to broaden its vision, seek new partnerships, and transform its way of doing things. This will be unsettling to many people.

However, that break begins with some hard choices - most notably, the outright cancellation of The Constellation Program. Started shortly after President Bush announced his "Vision for Space Exploration" in 2004, Constellation was the umbrella activity for what eventually became development activities for the Ares launch vehicle family, the Orion crew module, and the Altair lunar lander. All of this now comes to a halt."

Keith's note: I asked NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver "While NASA has certainly been at the forefront of using new media - social media etc. - to connect with the public it still has a long way to go to catch up with how people actually learn and communicate in the real world. As you well know Education and Public Outreach at NASA is all too often an afterthought or a "nice to have" activity. Yet it is often the only way that the public really comes to understand what NASA does since press releases are aimed at the media - not real people. There has been a lot of talk about something NASA calls "participatory exploration". Can you elaborate on the new ways that NASA will engage the public and describe the priority for such efforts from an overall agency perspective."

Lori replied "The budget has $5 million to do this sort of thing. When we look at robotic prcursor missions - not only will we land - but we will have milions of people travelling along with us - with robots that can be controlled from Earth by students. This will be an oportunity for the taxpaying public who owns this program to participate. We hope to take take a page from DARPA and allow people to utilizing the science we develop. This is the people's program and we are giving it back to them."

-  FY 2011 Budget Overview
- Administrator Bolden's Statement
- Office of Management and Budget: FY 2011 NASA Fact Sheet
- NASA Budget Details From OMB

- National Aeronautics and Space Administration Fact Sheet, OSTP
- Statement from Buzz Aldrin: A New Direction in Space, OSTP
- Statement by Norm Augustine, OSTP
- Launching a New Era in Space Exploration, OSTP

Senator Shelby response to State of the Union, January 27 2010

"Our focus must be on jumpstarting the economy and creating jobs through policies that spur economic growth in the private sector. The path to economic recovery and sustained growth runs through the private sector, not the federal government."

Shelby: NASA Budget Begins Death March for U.S. Human Space Flight

"We cannot continue to coddle the dreams of rocket hobbyists and so-called 'commercial' providers who claim the future of US human space flight can be achieved faster and cheaper than Constellation. I have consistently stated the fallacy of believing the cure-all hype of these 'commercial' space companies, and my position has been supported time and again by both the experts and the facts."

Previous Shelby News

Keith's note: NASA 2011 Budget information is now online at OMB: "NASA's Constellation program - based largely on existing technologies - was based on a vision of returning astronauts back to the Moon by 2020. However, the program was over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation due to a failure to invest in critical new technologies. Using a broad range of criteria an independent review panel determined that even if fully funded, NASA's program to repeat many of the achievements of the Apollo era, 50 years later, was the least attractive approach to space exploration as compared to potential alternatives. Furthermore, NASA's attempts to pursue its moon goals, while inadequate to that task, had drawn funding away from other NASA programs, including robotic space exploration, science, and Earth observations. The President's Budget cancels Constellation and replaces it with a bold new approach that invests in the building blocks of a more capable approach to space exploration."

Terminations, Reductions, and Savings, FY 2011, OMB

Page 18: National Aeronautics and Space Administration: "The Administration proposes to cancel the Constellation Systems program intended to return astronauts to the Moon by 2020 and replaces it with a bold new approach that embraces the commercial space industry, forges international partnerships, and develops the game-changing technologies needed to set the stage for a revitalized human space flight program and embark on a 21st Century program of space exploration."

"Check out the free NASA Images iPhone App, a window to the content available on nasaimages.org.  With the app you can access the entire NASA Images library from your iPhone along with the metadata for each image, video, and animation."

Get the App

Scientists say crack HIV/AIDS puzzle for drugs, Reuters

"Scientists say they have solved a crucial puzzle about the AIDS virus after 20 years of research and that their findings could lead to better treatments for HIV. British and U.S. researchers said they had grown a crystal that enabled them to see the structure of an enzyme called integrase, which is found in retroviruses like HIV and is a target for some of the newest HIV medicines. "Despite initially painstakingly slow progress and very many failed attempts, we did not give up and our effort was finally rewarded," said Peter Cherepanov of Imperial College London, who conducted the research with scientists from Harvard University. The Imperial and Harvard scientists said that having the integrase structure means researchers can begin fully to understand how integrase inhibitor drugs work, how they might be improved, and how to stop HIV developing resistance to them."

Keith's note: The next time someone asks you what the value of growing large, perfect protein crystals is in biomedical research (such as those grown on the ISS) refer them to this discovery. I wonder if a zero G-grown crystal would have accelerated their research? Perhaps if NASA dropped (eliminated) the cost, others could utilize this facility more readily?

Keith's note: Places where you can expect to hear Charlie Bolden, Lori Garver, and others spell out what NASA's budget means - and what the agency will and will not be doing with that budget:

- 1 Feb: OSTP 2011 Federal R&D Budget Briefing: OSTP officials brief meda and "stakeholders" at the AAAS from 1:00 to 2:00 pm EST. Webcast (registration required). Word has it that Charlie Bolden and other NASA officials will be there. Budget materials will be online at OMB at this point.

- 1 Feb: NASA FY 2001 Budget Press Briefing: Budget materials online at 12:30 am EST (slightly earlier at OMB), Charlie Bolden and CFO Beth Robinson with make a short presentation and take questions for an hour or so starting at 3:00 pm EST. Webcast on NASA TV. Don't expect a lot at this event other than for Bolden to go over high level aspects of the budget and then answering the same core questions - over and over - after being asked the same questions a dozen different ways by the media.

- 2 Feb: NASA event at National Press Club: Event starts at 10:00 am EST but will probably not last more than an hour. Word has it that other things will be presented by Bolden that may not be purely associated with the budget (education issues are apparently on his agenda). Expect a little more detail to emerge - but mostly in response to questions that media feel that Bolden did not address the day before.

- 3 Feb: Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee - Hearing: Key Issues and Challenges Facing NASA: Views of the Agency's Watchdogs: 10:00 am EST - hearing runs for two hours. You can expect Subcommittee Chair Rep. Giffords to pick up where she left off at a previous hearing wherein she will bash Norm Augustine and the Administration's plans to change the Constellation program - specifically Ares 1. ASAP Chair Adm. Dyer will be in agreement with Giffords for the most part but NASA OIG Martin will probably end up pointing to the OIG's previous work (and GAO's) which cast continual doubt about the pace and maturity of the Constellation program - as implemented by NASA.

- 11 Feb: 13th Annual FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference 10-11 Feb: Bolden speaks from 8:00 - 8:45 am EST. This is the place, space fans, where the big picture will emerge. Hopefully it will be on NASA TV

- 12 Feb: The State of the Agency: NASA Future Programs Presentation: All day. Don't bother to RSVP - there are no more seats available. Watch it on NASA TV. NASA is only allowing some media (Space News and Nature) into the event (where they can ask questions) while other publications/websites are not being allowed to send representatives. I am told this has to do with seating limits. Duh. No one seems to have planned for media. Oh well. These events are held every year and tend to be rather bland and dumbed down. Mostly its like a low key high school reunion where retirees get generic updates as to what the agency is doing. However, given that this event happens the day after the AST event, lots of questions will be floating around - so it may be a little more peppy than it would otherwise be.

- 18-19 Feb: NASA Advisory Council Meeting: You will certainly see additional detail presented by Bolden and senior staff at this meeting - i.e. charts to back up previous public comments. Media may manage to grab Bolden et al in the hallway.

- 17-20 Feb: Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference: Lori Garver speaks on Thursday, 18 February. Given the high amount of commercial interest and participation in this event and some exciting presentations by others, you can be certain that more detail on NASA's commercial plans will emerge one way or another.

And, of course, there will be leaks in between all of these events 😉

Hopes for NASA's moon mission fade, Washington Post

"White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said Sunday, "The President is committed to a robust 21st century space program, and his budget will reflect that dedication to NASA. NASA is vital not only to spaceflight, but also for critical scientific and technological advancements. The expertise at NASA is essential to developing innovative new opportunities, industries, and jobs. The President's budget will take steps in that direction."

Change in Space for NASA: Renting the Right Stuff, AP

"Getting to space is about to be outsourced. The Obama administration on Monday will propose in its new budget spending billions of dollars to encourage private companies to build, launch and operate spacecraft for NASA and others. Uncle Sam would buy its astronauts a ride into space just like hopping in a taxi."

The End of an Era? Brian Williams, MSNBC

"During the State of the Union, I turned to David Gregory and Andrea Mitchell and blurted out the obvious: I could never be president. The specific reason I gave was that I'd bankrupt the nation by re-starting an all-out push into space - back to the moon, to Mars and beyond."

Texas lawmakers balk at cutting manned spaceflight, Dallas Morning News

"Everyone in Washington wants fiscal restraint these days - except when it comes to their priorities. Case in point: NASA. Texas lawmakers in both parties are girding for battle with the Obama administration over the future of human spaceflight. Many of the same lawmakers routinely accuse the president of sending deficits into the stratosphere."

Rebel Engineers Sit With NASA to Chart Future of Manned Space, Popular Mechanics

"[Ross] Tierney, an amateur space buff, is an outspoken advocate for Jupiter Direct, a rocket designed to replace NASA's Ares 1 and Ares V, the two launch vehicles at the heart of NASA's Constellation program. "

NASA Renegades Pitch Obama Team New Post-Shuttle Plan, Popular Mechanics

"We were received well, but they were very clear they are offering no opinions at this point," says Ross Tierney, a collectible space model kit designer from Florida who presented the alternative plan.

Keith's note: Dear DIRECT Fanboys: NASA has not selected a specific design to replace Ares V. It most certainly has not decided to build DIRECT or any variant thereof. According to how NASA sources tell me the process will unfold, if/when NASA decides to go ahead and procure a replacement for Ares V or any other heavy lift launch system, it will do so via standard commercial procurement process - just like it is going to be doing for LEO access. Newsflash: the shift is going to be away from government-mandated designs (i.e. DIRECT) toward launch solutions to be provided by the private sector. The fact that a toy rocket model company owner was asked to come to NASA HQ and talk about a rocket design - one whose actual "designers" can never be named - was simply a courtesy - a curious one at that - not a statement of support.

After all this time, I have to wonder why no one except these people are ever associated - by name - with this concept. I cannot fathom that NASA would make any rational decision about launch vehicles based on anonymous designers - especially when the "team" is led by a foreign national who runs a toy rocket model company and uses a blurry image of Werner von Braun on a website instead of showing his face.

Imagine the inevitable congressional hearing: Charlie Bolden tells Congress that NASA is going to throw away $8 billion worth of rocket design done by professional rocket designers and adopt a design whose team is mostly anonymous and is lead publicly by foreign national model rocket designer?

As Augustine Commission member Leroy Chiao once asked "Who are you guys?"

@Astro_Soichi is sending back pictures - live - from ISS via Twitter and Twitpic:

- Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco, CA. Beautiful shadow 🙂 http://twitpic.com/10iitj
- Noctilucent clouds. Antarctic. Priceless. http://twitpic.com/10iiti

But wait - there's more yet to come from orbit: according to JT Creamer: RT @Astro_TJ: @space_pete Yes it's true: our internal cameras wlll stream to the Web beginning Monday! Wave when you see us!! 🙂

NASA's space tweets are part of a larger conversation, Government Computing News

"... the software upgrade that made it possible is pretty impressive. The system, which NASA calls the Crew Support LAN, taps into existing communications links -- a Ku satellite band with 3 megabits/sec upstream and 10 megabits/sec downstream -- to give astronauts Web access, along with the ability to better communicate with family and loved ones during their long stays on the space station. All that while traveling at 17,300 mph some 250 miles above the Earth."

"X-15: Extending the Frontiers of Flight" by Dennis R. Jenkins

"The X-15 was the ultimate "X" vehicle. Built in the 1950s, she became the fastest and highest-flying winged aircraft of its time. During 199 flights from 1959 through 1968, she collected data about hypersonic flight that was invaluable to aeronautics and to developers of the space shuttle. This book describes the genesis of the program, the design and construction of the aircraft, years of research flights and the experiments that flew aboard them."

Download the eBook

NASA Day of Remembrance at Kennedy Space Center Jan. 29, NASA

"NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., will pay tribute to the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia, as well as other NASA colleagues, during the agency's Day of Remembrance observance on Friday, Jan. 29."

'An Israeli Astronaut? There May be No More Astronauts At All!', Arutz Sheva

"NASA Administrator Charles Bolden spoke with the press at the Ilan Ramon International Space Conference. Bolden related to a number of exciting topics in the field of space and beyond. In the following video the NASA Chief discusses the option of sending another Israeli astronaut into space, the mission of saving the planet from asteroids, and commercial flights to the moon."

NASA Adds Israeli Technical Expertise to Lunar Science Research at Ames

"NASA and the Israel Space Agency have signed a joint statement that recognizes the Israel Network for Lunar Science and Exploration, or INLSE, as an affiliate partner with the NASA Lunar Science Institute at the agency's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif."

Keith's note: Word has it that HQ organizations finally got their FY 2011 budget numbers around 3 p.m. EST today.

NASA JSC Solicitation: Variable Specific Impulse Magento-Plasma Rocket - VASIMR

"NASA/JSC has a requirement for the acquisition of services to update a magnet fixture with an additional cryocooler for conduction cooling and to eliminate the liquid cyrogen cooling system in preparation for crycooler testing in vacuum and magnetic field combined environments. In addition, Studies will be conducted to evaluate a Lunar Tug concept utilizing Variable Specific Impulse Magneto-plasma Rocket (VASIMR) engine capabilities from Low Earth Orbit to Lunar Orbit and libration points. NASA/JSC intends to purchase these services from Ad Astra Rocket Company."

Previous VASIMR stories

Video below

NASA Announces Innovation Initiatives With Fiscal Year 2010 Budget

"NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will brief reporters about the agency's fiscal year 2011 budget at 3 p.m. EST on Monday, Feb. 1. The news conference will take place in the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, located at 300 E St. S.W., in Washington. NASA Chief Financial Officer Beth Robinson will join Bolden. The news conference will be broadcast live on NASA Television and the agency's Web site. Questions will be taken from media representatives at headquarters and participating field centers."