Kay Bailey Hutchison, the senior Republican on the Senate committee overseeing NASA (and a loser in Texas' GOP gubernatorial primary Tuesday), has introduced a bill calling for a shuttle extension as a companion to legislation proposed by local U.S. representatives Suzanne Kosmas and Bill Posey. Here's her press release:
Keep Shuttle Operational or U.S. Forced to Rely on Russia, China to Reach Space Station
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, today introduced legislation to close the gap in U.S. human space flight that will occur if the space shuttle is retired before the next generation of space vehicle is developed.
Senator Hutchison's bill would allow the National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) to extend the shuttle's service as work continues on the next generation of American space vehicle. Companion legislation is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives next week by Reps. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Florida) and Bill Posey (R-Florida).
"We must close the gap in U.S. human space flight or face the reality that we will be totally dependent on Russia for access to space until the next generation of space vehicle is developed," said Senator Hutchison. "If the space shuttle program is terminated, Russia and China will be the only nations in the world with the capability to launch humans into space. This is unacceptable."
Hutchison said the Obama Administration's budget proposal was "short-sighted and represents the wrong direction for U.S. space policy."
The Administration proposes to retire the shuttle as scheduled while discontinuing years of work on development of a new launch vehicle and provides no short term solution to deliver critical equipment and components to the International Space Station that are essential to extending the life of the station until 2020.
"Not only are we turning our backs on 40 years of American space superiority, we are giving up vital national security and economic interests to other nations. This must not be an 'either or' proposition where we are forced to choose between continuing to fly the shuttle to service the station and maintain our independence in reaching space, or investing in the next generation of space vehicle. We can and must do both. By maintaining our independence from other nations in reaching space, the U.S. can fully realize the research potential of the space station as a national lab," Hutchison said.
The Human Space Flight Capability Assurance and Enhancement Act of 2009 would:
-- Make shuttle retirement dependent on the availability of replacement capabilities for comparable size crew and cargo delivery, whether government-owned or commercial, (assuming a rate of 2 missions a year), or until it is conclusively demonstrated that it is the space shuttle cargo capabilities are not needed to ensure space station viability;
-- Require International Space Station (ISS) operations and full utilization through at least 2020, and further establish the ISS National Laboratory operating mechanisms and procedures;
-- Provide for the acceleration of a government-owned human space flight capability to as close to 2015 as possible;
-- Expand support for Commercial Orbital Space Transportation (COTS) to support ISS -- both for cargo and for eventual crew launch capability;
-- Reaffirm long-term goal of moving beyond low-Earth orbit whether to the Moon, Mars or alternative destinations;
-- Provide for the near-term evaluation of heavy-lift rocket launcher design options, including shuttle-derived options, to enable the expansion beyond low-earth orbit and accelerate the start of vehicle design activity; and
-- Authorize top-level funding for all of NASA's mission activities, but would only address the human space flight policy issues.
IMAGE: Texas gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, smiled as supporters cheered her after delivering her concession speech in Dallas on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
14 comments:
Why have they taken so long to step up? The shuttle retirement date has been known for at least 5 years!
Where was Hutchinson in 2007 when President Bush signed the contract with Russia to fly U.S. astronauts on Soyuz:
www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2007/apr/HQ_C07-18_Roscosmos.html
If Hutchinson is freaked about U.S. astronauts on Soyuz spacecraft, she's 15 years too late. We've been flying astronauts on Soyuz since 1995, when Norm Thagard went up on Soyuz to Mir.
It's a good thing Hutchinson was just defeated for re-election, because obviously she's being hypocritical on this issue.
Government Programs:
1. Space Program - benefits very few and makes Defense Contractors Richer
2. Public Option Health Care - Benefits millions of Americans who aren't rich as Defense Contractors.
No Health Care then No Space Program
That was a good post, Agonman. I agree, no Health care, No Space program. Let the party of No deal with that. Maybe they can take their Birther buddy, Bill Posey with his No boys, the Tea Bagers and ask their daddy Rush, how to make Tea out of that.
Well I'll be darned. They're not gonna bag 3 billion dollars worth of perfectly good equipment after all. Who'd a thunk.
Whoa... this all sounds familiar? Oh that's right, it was Obama saying these types of things back in 2008 when he came down and lied to all of us to get our votes.
Lord I hope we don't let this man take our country into the grave. I voted for him and am sorry I did. Thanks for standing up for the right way of doing things.
Put an end corporate welfare finally, close this money pit and let the free market do what it does best. No one, repeat, no one is guaranteed to keep any job until their retirement, why is it that all of you NASA leeches feel entitled and that your jobs should be bailed out? Hello Space X, goodbye USA and all of it's welfare recipients....
'Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), Ranking Member on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee' -- there are heros in our country and U.S. representatives Suzanne Kosmas and Bill Posey and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will be remembered and rewarded with appreciation for telling it like it is to those in DC with not enough backbone to do so.
We can't be dead in order to do what needs to be done...and facing the monster straight in the eye and finding a way to bring it down is what needs to be done. A David and Goliath fight from which the US will come out invincible with the support of the taxpayers! Thank you to all those who applauded to the added proposal and we expect you to back up the applause with the necessary votes to support the Space Exploration and US men in Space in order to keep our families safe. -- Feel FREE to comment without any short minded private agendas supported by a large MINORITY which cannot change the WILL OF THE PEOPLE!
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the Shuttle is a risky vehicle (by design) but the "commercial space" will cost up to FIVE TIMES the Shuttle price-per-ton to LEO http://bit.ly/aP70mi
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For republicans and Blue Dogs; No health Care, No Space program. Both are socialist funded, socialist programs. republicans don't get to support one socialist fund and deny the other because its socialism.
what? Lets keep it simple , you have people that cannot afford to go to A DOCTOR BECAUSE OF HIGH DEDUTIBLES, and you still want to go to the moon.
It's human nature to wait until something is staring you in the face to start freaking out about it. Sure, we've known about the shuttle retirement date for six years, but we put those thought on the back burning...maybe even hoping things will change as they always do in the political theater. (For the record, Bush proposed ending the shuttle program in 2010. Obama is the once cancelling it.) However, now that we realize that if the plan sticks we only have four shuttle flights left, people are beginning to realize what a huge mistake this is. Yes, we have been flying astronauts on Soyuz for 15 years, but that was as a compliment to the shuttle. We've always had our own vehicle. People aren't freaking out about the option to fly Americans on a Russian rocket. They're freaking out because as of STS-135, that will be the ONLY option. Russia could be drooling right now, waiting for us "stupid Americans" to cancel the shuttle, and then pounce. What if after that point, the Russians decide to increase the price for seat? What if they play games with us? What if our relationship goes sour? You saw how the Russian president flipped out over his country only getting 15 medals in the Olympics. The Olympics! These people can be borderline crazy and completely irrational sometimes. And we want to have our access to space 100% dependant on them?
KBH's proposal sounds good... however, the additional shuttle flights will have to have specific MISSIONS in order to be justifiable.
Here's my suggestions for some good ones:
1. ISS Orbital Motor. Take one of the OMS pods from an older shuttle, modify it and haul it to the ISS. This will allow the ISS to STAY in orbit. Wasn't this originally planned for the ISS 20 years ago?
2. ISS Motel Module: There should be enough spare 'cans' around KSC or ESA to design a system to take tourist up, let 'em pay they're own way.
Anybody else have some constructive suggestions?
Rick Steele
Sarasota, Florida
ALL these late coming criminal politicians are seeing the writing on the wall. TREASON in DC and REVOLUTION SOON!!!!
Since posting anonymously seems to be the way to do it, here goes...
For all of you who say the space program is a welfare/social program, do you want to ditch the military too? Both are necessary government entities in our century. Its pretty simple, unles you want to add to the chances that the US will become a third world country, you must have manned and unmanned spaceflight capabilities. India, Brasil, Japan, and a number of other countries will soon add to the list that we may drop off of in the near term.
It is bad enough our education system went into the toilet thanks to the baby boomer generation being asleep at the wheel. I don't care how it is done, private or public, but we need to have the ability to access the multibillion dollar station WE built!
We're stuck with Obama, the problem is there is a lack of anyone worth their salt who would take that job. Every four years we just pick the least worst choice we have.
I'm a republican, but Bush put up a crap plan for NASA, and Obama's minions came up with an even worse one. We need to suck it up and live with Shuttle until we can let the business world to come up with a replacement that can be cost controlled. That's the right way, period.
As far as the liberal's social program comments, If you agree agree NASA should be ditched, then we should compete EVERYTHING; police, firemen, military, space, education... all of it. No one should be tenured for anything. I bet you'd sing a different tune then.
The american dream is to earn what you want, not let smarter or harder working people be taxed so it can be handed to you!
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