The presidential committee reviewing options for NASA's human space exploration program is expected to release its final report today.Committee chairman Norm Augustine and member Ed Crawley will host a 1 p.m. briefing to discuss the report at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
NASA is expected to post the report online at that time.
You can watch the briefing live here. Click here to open the live video feed of NASA TV's Media Channel.
The 10-member Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee released this 12-page summary report to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on Sept. 8.
NASA convened the committee June 1. Read the charter here.
Led by Augustine, the former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, the committee has so far concluded that NASA needs an additional $3 billion annually to fund a viable program of human space exploration.
The committee has questioned whether NASA's Ares I rocket could be ready to fly astronauts on schedule in 2015, and supported extending International Space Station operations to at least 2020 - five years later than currently budgeted.
Committee members also appeared to support the idea of launching crews on commercially developed rockets, or possibly scrapping Ares I to focus on a heavier-lift vehicle such as NASA's proposed Ares V or an Ares V "Lite."
The committee also considered which destinations would best fit an exploration program, from the moon to Mars to asteroids.
Augustine has stressed that the committee was asked to propose program options, not make recommendations, and that final program direction will come from the president and Congress.
Some of the proposed options would fit NASA's existing budget profile, while others would require significantly more funding.
3 comments:
You think Obama even knows AREA-1X is on Pad B, or even care?? I guess we will find out soon...... signed " A KSC worker sitting on Death Row" :-(
Interesting note from a reporter..."The $3Billion increase from Washington may be very difficult or nearly impossible.".
Then again thats a reporter commenting. :)
The aerospace migrant worker program is about to change again. Are you prepared for the change? Because times are a changing and the rocket ranch gravy train is coming to an end.
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