The full U.S. Senate passed a NASA spending plan late Thursday that would provide money to start development of a heavy-lift launch vehicle and commercial space taxis while adding one additional shuttle flight before fleet retirement.The U.S Senate late Thursday unanimously passed a bipartisan spending plan for NASA that extends the space shuttle program well into next year and advances the date for future human flight in a newly developed spacecraft to 2016 from a 2025 target-date initially proposed by the administration.
The quick start to the development of a super-sized rocket would create about 2,000 jobs at Kennedy Space Center, helping to mitigate the loss of 8,000 jobs as a result of the shut down of the shuttle fleet.
The bill now has to be reconciled with a similar version pending in the U.S. House. It also must pass through both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees before it moves on to the White House for President Obama's signature.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando and one of the chief architects of the legislation, said he expects House and Senate staffers to come to an agreement on NASA's budget for fiscal 2011 by the time Congress returns from its current recess in September.
"This gets NASA back on the right track," Nelson said in a statement. "This bill not only adds an additional shuttle flight and pushes forward the development of a new heavy-lift rocket, it also makes a significantly higher investment in commercial space ventures and research and development of new space systems."
Nelson said the bill would effectively extend shuttle operations for another year, helping to keep much of the KSC work force intact. It also provides significant funding for the development of commercial space taxis to ferry U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station. At the same time, it pushed forward the development of a heavy-lift launch vehicle required for human space expeditions beyond Earth orbit.
14 comments:
I like the Senate plan but hava a hard time believing that the HLV AND Orion can be done in the time within the budget (as well as $$$ for commercial.) And IF this is doable then I have another question: What the f*** was NASA doing with the Ares I development program, spending more than for the HLV on an EELV+ rocket without even a single (real) test flight????
Gerhard Hauer
Austria (no kangaroos)
The plan recently passed by the House Science Committee is far better: funding NASA development of a "crew vehicle" for post-shuttle access to the ISS and Earth orbit -- i.e., Ares I / Orion. Hopefully, that measure will pass the whole House and survive reconciliation between House and Senate.
sad when Congress shows more vision and leadership than the person in the White House ... Obama = anti-space
November electioneering, just pork barrel posturing, nothing more
Be sure to thank Team Direct for lobbying Congress for this! Keep in mind that the Ares rockets would have only employed 700-800 people.
www.directlauncher.com
Obama is bringing in new companies with new technologies that can actually reduce the cost of human spaceflight. Why are "small-government", "pro-business" Republicans attacking him?
Oh good, more rich people welfare from my tax dollars
@Anonymous, http://space.flatoday.net/2010/08/senate-passes-nasa-plan-that-would.html?showComment=1281126834986#c3266707796933380760
"Obama is bringing in new companies with new technologies that can actually reduce the cost of human spaceflight. Why are "small-government", "pro-business" Republicans attacking him?"
Because they always have to have something to attack the other party about. It's just how politics works… it doesn't matter whether it makes sense or not, they have to do it.
Lets see about April 2011 until sometime in 2016 we will not be able to put up a Human in space unless Vlad Putin approves it .A firing squad would be the reward for a glitch like that in many countries, deservedly.
THIS IS JUST ANOTHER SPENDING ON SOMETHING THAT WILL BE CANCELLED IN THE LAST MINUTE DUE TO LACK OF WILL
JUST LIKE WHAT HAPPENED WITH CONSTELLATION
NASA IS TRULY LOST IN SPACE
And that does what for THIS round of layoffs of 1,000 workers?? And, after the first of the year the NEXT round of thousands of workers? What does it do for the business in Brevard County that will layoff others or have to close because there is no paycheck so there is no buying power?
It seems that the government's goal these days is to get people into poverty and keep them there for as long as they can. There are no jobs for the average worker in this area, only 26 weeks unemployment, so I guess we are to stay at tht poverty level until they decide to hire workers in a few years ??
he inabiity of political parties to unify and make a prompt decision for the safety and welfare of this country is deplorable and inexcusable! Am I angry? YOU BET I AM!!
I'm hoping this is keeping the shuttle program on life support so they can finally extend it in tandem with the space station. Numbers mean nothing. They can say all they want the next vehicle will be ready in 2016, but when do those estimates ever stick? Once they kill the shuttle, it's gone and we're in a gap that will grow and grow. There is still the opportunity to keep the shuttles flying to support the space station and OUR manned space program, not Russia's.
While I am pleased the shuttle program is being extended into the summer of 2011, I hope it's only the first step.
With almost 1,000 people being laid off in October, we'll discover that the last 3 shuttle missions will go be completed safely and more efficiently. You'll be surprised on the amount of USA folks that have been charging the government for 40 hours of work during the past 6 months and have spent those hours goofing off.
Mark,
I hope you are right. The House needs to add several External Tanks and Solid Rocket Boosters for production or the U.S. will loose that capability.
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