LIVE: Congressional Hearings into Obama's NASA Budget FY2011 - Feb 24-25 Part 2

[northanger]

Vitter said "radical" several times: radical program, "radical departure".

[Chris Bergin]

"What does this do to the gap?

"Do not believe commercial will beat the CxP timeline, it increases the gap. It grows the gap to infinity, we just fall of a cliff.

"The workforce has been very patient to wait for next generation and the gap. They got it, but the message they got is their gap didn't just expand, it expands to infinity. I want to offer a completely different message. I will fight to end this budget and change it. I believe there is great bi-partisan support for that.

[northanger]

[northanger]

Nelson introducing Bolden.

[psloss]

Sen Vitter:

"I'm just sorry that we are not going to hear from the true architects of this plan, specifically Ms Garver. Want to question them directly.

Will strongly oppose Garver ever becoming NASA admin?

While not necessarily surprising, that was pretty harsh for a hearing like this.

[Chris Bergin]

Senator Nelson praising Bolden's career.

[Chris Bergin]

Bolden making opening statement.

[Robotbeat]

Extends the ISS to 2020, how is that canceling all human spaceflight, Mr. Vitter?

BTW, Senator Nelson really strikes me as a class act. I like his style of buttering you up before he lays down his concerns. Much nobler.

[northanger]

Bolden begins (defends Garver).

[Cog_in_the_machine]

Bolden apologizes, because the details about the budget aren't finalized. The plan seeks to make the right investments in technology to enable a realistic path to Mars.

Funding R&D will foster next generation spaceflight and enable the commercial sector to develop the LEO market.

The US will pursue a more sustainable path

Gives thanks to the contractors who worked on Constellation

Talks about in orbit prop transfer, inflatable modules, robotic precocious, developing commercial crew and cargo delivery, climate change observation etc.

"When we take on Mars it's a radically different set of challenges."
Paraphrasing: I can't provide a date for the first landing because we lack the technology presently in our kit.

Not going to develop HLV at this time. Falcon 9 and other commercial rockets will do for the future technology demonstrators.

Nelson proposes not shutting down the Constellation program so they can use the 2 billion $ for HLV development. Nelson called Ares I "rocket X" (LOL)

Bolden said he'd like to R&D a HLV soon, but it can't fit in the budget.

Vitter wants to know who was the original mind behind the new budget (he's really insistent and thinks it's Lori Carver)

Bolden tries to dodge the accusation and says that there were more people involved.
Regarding Carvers' role - (paraphrasing): "Lori provides me with insight into the private sector"

Bolden: it doesn't matter if it's a private spaceship that gets people to LEO "No one will know how an astronaut got to ISS in the future. No one will care".

Taking about how kids become astronauts right now.

Bolden: "The new budget is not a departure from the VSE"

Vitter disagrees - "A vision without resources is a hallucination and that's what I think this budget represents". What are you going to tell the NASA family about canceling NASAs' budget and stretching the gap to infinity?

Bolden: I'll do everything in my power so we can achieve our goals. We'll get to the Moon and Mars much quicker. I'd like to develop a space technology that will enable us to go to Mars in days, because we don't know how radiation will affect the crew.

Vitter believes the previous budget was inadequate, but thinks the new one is a step back.

[Chris Bergin]

Backs up his deputy Ms Garver, saying it was unfair.

Understands the justification documents haven't arrived in a timely manner. Still working on them.

Notes tech dev. Reckon's it will inspire children, like he was by Buck Rogers.

"NASA's bold new direction". "Sustained private sector job creation"

Goodness me, this is full of soundbytes.

[northanger]

from NASA:
http://twitter.com/NASA/status/9590458195
NASA's new budget will make the agency "an engine of innovation," Administrator Bolden. See his testimony online at http://bit.ly/cgj4AR

[Chris Bergin]

This is a very close re-write of his budget statement.

[northanger]

Sir, you've made some news. Yup, going to Mars is kinda radical.

[Chris Bergin]

Questions!

"You stated the destination is Mars. Do you have the approval of your superiors?" Sen Nelson.

Bolden pretty much says yes.

"The moon is a few days away. Mars is radically different. I can not give you a JFK type speech from Obama, because I can't give a date when we have technologies outstanding (paraphrased). Hope it would be quicker than it would have been before.

[Robotbeat]

Bolden: Mars is the destination, will be the focus of reference design missions.

[northanger]

"technology demonstrators" repeated over and over. [Bolden saying he doesn't need heavy lift to get these to LEO, waste of taxpayer money, mentioned different vehicles to get to LEO]

[neilh]

Did Bolden just say that when he visited SpaceX they said they were working on a pusher-style escape system? Hmm...

[Chris Bergin]

The president has decided to dev those technologies to achieve Mars. The difference between tech and HLV - I can use any vehicle to get anything to LEO. I don't need a HLV, nor would I want to use a HLV to put a prop storage in orbit. I can use a Falcon, a Taurus a Delta to get me there.

Need to spend more on tech than the HLV. There will come a time where I ask some money for HLV.

Sen Nelson: I've found you some money. We've spent 9 billion on CxP and another 2.5 billion to shut it down. If we don't shut it down, how can we spend the 2.5 billion?

Bolden: We're looking at what CxP elements we can maintain. CxP TPS study will go to SpaceX. SpaceX intend to use a pusher system LAS. Asked about MLAS - they didn't know about it, so I encouraged them to look at MLAS and talk to LaRC. (MLAS on Falcon 9!?!)

[Stephan]

Did he say pusher LAS for Falcon 9 ?