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

[Chris Bergin]

Any testing I can do on a new HLV would be fantastic - Bolden.

[kraisee]

Space-X won't touch MLAS.   Three or four times the cost of what they can develop in-house.

I would actually be quite be shocked if they even talked seriously to Blue Origin about using their LAS system.

Space-X want the tech done in-house wherever possible -- that's how they plan to make more money.

Ross.

[Robotbeat]

Vitter: Who was the prime originator of the this radical plan?

[northanger]

Vitter agrees w/ Nelson, you're a great fellow, but wants to know who wrote this radical budget.

[Chris Bergin]

Sen Vitter on Garver Who was the prime architect of this plan? I don't think it was you.

"If you're looking at someone to blame, I represent the inputs we made the budget" - Bolden.

Sen Vitter is going after him big time on Garver.

"I'm not refuting anything (Garver being the main architect). She is not an enemy of HSF or NASA We come from different backgrounds. Lori is tremendous about insights I don't have about commercial space."

Sen Vitter "are you refuting what I think about Garver's input."

Bolden does well to back her up.

Whoa, that got tasty!

[northanger]

Bolden reminds Vitter he told him about two radical groups -- he strives for the middle.

[Chris Bergin]

Senator Vitter is pulling no punches. This is real strong.

Bolden's talking about inspired kids too much. "It doesn't make any difference on how astros get into orbit."

"I want redundant, reliable access to space. If get there there on a (lists all the vehicles) - it's important we have an American made capability to get astros to the ISS and make it possible to go to Mars."

[Chris Bergin]

Bolden reminds Vitter he told him about two radical groups -- he strives for the middle.

Great screenshots

[Chris Bergin]

"You don't want seventh graders thinking about Mars? I don't agree with that." Vitter.

Bolden disagrees. Cites about them not caring about the LV.

Seems to intimate NASA doesn't need pilots, they want scientists.

[northanger]

Vitter's 7th graders want to go to Mars. [Anything else is so last week].

[Yegor]

Whoa, that got tasty!

Yep, it looks like it is going to be a fight.

[marsavian]

Bolden reminds Vitter he told him about two radical groups -- he strives for the middle.

Cx and Commercial and each group tells you not to listen to the other.

[KSC Sage]

Senator Vitter is pulling no punches. This is real strong.

All Senator Vitter cares about is his rockets.  He is clueless!

[kraisee]

No radical departure from Vision for Space Exploration?

Jeez, what would he call 'radical' then?

Ross.

[marsavian]

Whoa, that got tasty!

Yep, it looks like it is going to be a fight.

As some of us predicted.

[Mark S]

Sen. Vitter:  Resources without vision is a waste of time and money.

!!

[Chris Bergin]

Show us a page in the Augustine report that mirrors the budget - Vitter.

Bolden disagrees that it's a radical departure. What is different is it funds that vision.

We had a vision for going to the Moon and Mars, but didn't have the funds to do it. We now have the assets.

Vitter disagrees. "Resources without vision is a waste of money, this is what the budget represents."

[Robotbeat]

Bolden says that the previous vision couldn't happen without more budget, which it didn't get.

[Chris Bergin]

Bolden admits he doesn't know how the workforce feel. Starts crying.

[kraisee]

"Vision without resources is an hallucination".

"Resources without a vision is a waste of money".

Ross.