Space Exploration

Federal News Service February 12, 2004 Thursday

HEADLINE: HEARING OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE

SUBJECT: SPACE EXPLORATION

CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE SHERWOOD BOEHLERT (R-NY)

LOCATION: 2318 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D.C.

WITNESSES:

SEAN O'KEEFE, ADMINISTRATOR, NASA;

JOHN MARBURGER III, DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

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REP. JO BONNER (R-AL): Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. O'Keefe, I represent the state of Alabama, the First Congressional District, and although Huntsville is not in my district, it's an important part of NASA's history and certainly an important part of the state contribution toward the space program. Could you-since some of my colleagues have already raised the question about the president's proposal for the Orbital Space Plane to be replaced with the Crew Exploration Vehicle, could you tell me what some of the efforts of Marshall might be with regard to developing the Orbital Space Plane that would be channeled into this new Crew Exploration Vehicle program.

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REP. BONNER: Let me shift gears now. If the Russian agreement to provide the Soyuz crew support ends in 2006, and it takes one and a half years to build a Soyuz module on the Russian production line. Don't the Russians need the money flowing to them soon? And when will we know who's going to pay for these Soyuz flights starting in 2006?

MR. O'KEEFE: Thank you, sir. Again, as I mentioned with Mr. Lampson in his commentary on this point, we are beginning negotiations and discussions with our 15 other partners in the International Space Station partnership today. And they are here in Washington, and in the weeks ahead, as we lead up to a head of agency meeting here at the end of March, beginning of April, likely in Montreal, the discussions will be over exactly this kind of question. How do we go forward beyond '06 if we were to continue transfer and return vehicle capacity that our Russian partners provide?

We're also intent on returning the shuttle to flight and completing the station activities. So as a consequence, all of those contributions will be discussed and how do we expand expedition crew size, how many more vehicles will be needed. The Europeans are bringing to bear the ATV logistics capability here in the next several months. It is going to be substantially greater than the progress vehicles that we're currently using. So there's any number of variables that will go on those negotiations, so I expect in the next couple of months we'll have clearer answers on the more specific definition of the questions you've asked.

REP. BONNER: There's a follow-up to that question, if I might. Why haven't we, at this juncture, had a crew vehicle for the space shuttle?

MR. O'KEEFE: A crew vehicle for the space shuttle? I'm sorry, I don't understand the --

REP. BONNER: To model after the Soyuz, the Russian vehicle.

MR. O'KEEFE: Oh, I see. Again, the space shuttle is and was designed to be not only a crew but also a cargo carrying asset. The Soyuz is of no similar or comparable capability. It is strictly a crew complement. The recommendations of the Accident Investigation Board are that we design a capability that separates the crew from the cargo. So until the time of I think the Accident Investigation Board's recommendations, we had looked to maintain shuttle in a singular capacity only in low Earth orbit in this mode.

So now to look at evolving that out into a crew separated from cargo approach, as the Accident Investigation Board recommended, is where we're proceeding. Why we haven't done it before, I could only offer speculation. Why we're doing it in the future, I could tell you definitively it's because of our recommendations in the president's direction.

REP. BONNER: Let me shift gears one more time, please.

MR. O'KEEFE: Yes, sir.

REP. BONNER: Could you elaborate on the Centennial Challenge prizes that NASA wants to start for space entrepreneurs?

MR. O'KEEFE: This is an opportunity and really very much in concert with the president's direction of looking at new creative ways to accomplish these tasks, then in turn encourage the entrepreneurial approaches that are out there. And let's figure out how we achieve those kinds of objectives by creating spirited competitions for their continued development. So we're intent on pursuing that direction.

REP. BONNER: Just one final comment, not a question. All of us who remember growing up watching the Apollo space program take off and man land on the moon and take the first steps, and then we watched with pride in the shuttle program and the tragedy of Challenger and Columbia, I think all of us, especially in this room and on this committee-and really as evidenced by the tremendous crowd that's here today on a day when the House is not in session, we support what you're doing. We're proud of the work you're doing.

That said, I think the American people, as we face these tough budget decisions, deserve a renewal of explanation of what space exploration has meant to them, in terms of their daily lives and in terms of the advancements of medicine, miracles of medicine, and then some of the other technological breakthroughs that have a direct link. So that when we go home to our districts and we go home and visit with the people that sent us here, we can give them an updated answer to the questions of why now, why this much money, why this bolder vision? And I would certainly encourage NASA to help us sell the story of NASA, and I think you'll find willing partners here.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, for giving me an opportunity to just ask some questions.

REP. BOEHLERT: Thank you, Mr. Bonner.

MR. O'KEEFE: Mr. Chairman, if I could, very quickly, 10 seconds. We'll get you a piece of paper that will give you the specific derivatives of all the things we've developed over the course of the last few years that can be available for --

REP. BOEHLERT: Mr. O'Keefe, I wish we had six billion hits on that. And let me suggest to you that it's critically important in that part of your communications program that you explain to the American people all of the benefits that have come from our investments in the space program.

REP. BONNER: Mr. Chairman?

REP. BOEHLERT: Yes, sir.

REP. BONNER: Especially those investments made in Alabama would be very helpful.