NASA is preparing to execute President Obama's vision for the future at Kennedy Space Center and stands poised for an aggressive start once Congress approves the administration's proposed 2011 budget, the director of the space center said today.In a pitch broadcast on closed-circuit television, center director Robert Cabana said NASA is ready to stand up a project office at KSC that will help commercial companies develop the means to launch both cargo and astronauts to the International Space Station.
Plans are in place to open a separate office focused on turning the center into a "21st century spaceport" that will serve commercial launch companies while supporting the NASA-led development of a heavy-lift launch vehicle for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit.
Yet another office would be opened to support the development and launch of a series of flagship technology demonstration missions, and a fourth will continue the procurement of commercial launch services for NASA science satellites and robotic planetary explorers.
Cabana turned to a panel of deputies who detailed the planning being done to execute President Obama's post-shuttle direction for NASA's primary launch site. Among the highlights:
++A new Commercial Crew Development Project Office will be ready to issue a Request For Proposals for the development of commercial space taxi services during the first half of 2011; contract awards would follow in the second half of the year. Vehicle development would take place in 2012 and 2013, and space taxis for U.S. astronauts would begin flying in the 2014-2015 timeframe.
++Spaceport modifications would be aimed at opening up shuttle processing hangars, the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Shuttle Landing Facility and launch pads to multiple commercial users while providing for developmental and ultimately operational launches of a heavy-lift launch vehicle.
++A series of technology demonstration missions also are in the planning stages. A Solar Electric Power mission is targeted for September 2014. An in-space demonstration of propellant transfer and storage capabilities is slated to fly in May 2015. Launch of a prototype inflatable habitat module is set for September 2015 and a mission to demonstration a capability to land astronauts on other planetary surfaces would take place in March 2016.
IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the NASA image of Launch Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center. NASA officials at KSC are putting in place plans to execute President Obama's new plan for NASA at KSC once Congress approves the adminsitration's proposed 2011 budget. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett.
5 comments:
A separate office is being opened to assist the Obama administration collect campaign donations for quid pro quo taxpayer funding for private companies.
Calls to the White House were not returned. Press Secretary Gibbs stated that President Obama was much to busy dealing with his Golf Crisis.
The Obama Plan ? What friggin' plan ? The "add to the unemployment rolls" plan.
Is government watching commercial companies a good thing? Who was watching Deepwater Horizon (BP)? Profit is the bottom line in the commercial business and Deepwater Horizon found a way to drill with less expensive components. Would space craft manufactures find the same type of less expensive ways to build spacecraft? Then there is the issue of who is going to make trips to the Space Station. Is Russia a friend? I hope my friends don't spy on me like the Russian's have on us. The Russian government has never lied and cheated, never did any dirty tricks...NOT!!!
Finally I would ask how many NASA government workers are going to lose their cushy jobs at Kennedy Space Center. You would think with 4-7 thousand contractors there would be government workers also but it is my understanding they have been told NO NASA CIVIL SERVANTS will be let go.
Unfortunately, the current plan for KSC is to demolish things such as one of the Shuttle pads.
And one day to possibly re-build something - depending on how much money can be extracted from the Federal budget. The bureaucracy for allowing commercial users to have access to government facilities is significant so we'll see how much of KSC is usable by commercial entities.
you could have stopped the headline after the word obama.
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