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NASA’s Course Set to Change, Part 2

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government continues its review of NASA’s role in the Trump Administration.

One mission apparently advocated by the Trump Administration is a relatively quick return to the Moon. According to the Wall Street Journal the Trump White House will seek to expand public-private partnerships for NASA, including, according to White House documents, “a rapid and affordable” return to the lunar surface.

A 2008 NASA report, developed before President Obama entered the White House and changed the agency’s focus to climate change, explained the importance of a return to the moon:

“President Bush’s 2004 proposal to return to the Moon, this time ‘to stay’ with a lunar outpost, has stimulated vigorous debate… Neil Armstrong and his colleagues demonstrated that humans on the spot provide instant interpretation of their environment, guided by color, 3D, high resolution human vision that is only now being approached by robotic systems. Even encumbered by space suits, they could instantly recognize and collect invaluable samples such as the ‘Genesis Rock’ of Apollo 15, an anorthosite that has proven essential to understanding the geologic history of the Moon. When the Apollo 17 rover lost a fender – which might have terminated a robotic rover’s mission – astronauts Cernan and Schmitt managed a field repair and kept driving. All the Apollo astronauts emplaced complex geophysical instrument stations, most operating for years until budget cuts forced them to be turned off…what could such an outpost accomplish? First, it could continue the exploration of the Moon, whose surface area is roughly that of North and South America combined. Six ‘landings’ in North America would have given us only a superficial knowledge of this continent, and essentially none about its natural resources such as minerals, oil, water power, and soil. The Moon is a whole planet, so to speak, whose value is only beginning to be appreciated.

“The Moon is not only an interesting object of study, but a valuable base for study of the entire Universe, by providing a site for astronomy at all wavelengths from gamma rays to extremely long radio waves. This statement would have been unquestioned 30 years ago. But the succeeding decades of spectacular discoveries by space-based instruments, such as the Hubble Space Telescope, have led many astronomers such as Nobel Laureate John Mather to argue that the Moon can be by-passed, and that instruments in deep space at relatively stable places called Lagrangian points are more effective…

It also tastes good like http://greyandgrey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/PEF-January-2009.pdf purchase generic levitra other soft ED drugs. Utilizing free viagra without prescription permitted a huge number of ED products on this site such as viagra, viagra no prescription just to name a few, to treat their erection problem. Valerian plants roots along with rhizomes have natural sildenafil pfizer compounds that give valerian its therapeutic premises. Sex and High Blood Pressure High blood pressure condition can degrade our life qualities up to great extent sildenafil india therefore this should be treated effectively using modern medicines. “The Moon may offer mineral resources… of great value on Earth. Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison Schmitt, working with the Fusion Technology Institute of the University of Wisconsin, has shown that helium 3, an isotope extremely rare on Earth, exists in quantity in the lunar soil, implanted by the solar wind. If – a very big if – thermonuclear fusion for energy is produced on Earth, helium 3 would be extremely valuable for fusion reactors because it does not make the reactor radioactive. A more practicable use of helium 3, being tested at the University of Wisconsin, is the production of short-lived medical isotopes. Such isotopes must now be manufactured in cyclotrons and quickly delivered before they decay. But Dr. Schmitt suggests that small helium 3 reactors could produce such isotopes at the hospital. In any event, research on the use of helium 3 would clearly benefit if large quantities could be exported to the Earth.

“Returning to the most important reason for a new lunar program, dispersal of the human species, the most promising site for such dispersal is obviously Mars, now known to have an atmosphere and water. Mars itself is obviously a fascinating object for exploration. But it may even now be marginally habitable for astronaut visits, and in the very long view, might be “terraformed,” or engineered to have a more Earth-like atmosphere and climate. This was described in Kim Stanley Robinson’s trilogy, Red Mars and its successors Green and Blue Mars. A second Earth, so to speak, would greatly improve our chances of surviving cosmic catastrophes.

“Where does the Moon fit into this possibility? First, it would continue to give us experience with short interplanetary trips, which is what the Apollo missions were. These would demonstrably be relatively short and safe compared to Mars voyages, but would provide invaluable test flights, so to speak. More important, shelters, vehicles, and other equipment built for the Moon could be over-designed, and with modification could be used on Mars after being demonstrated at a lunar outpost…

“… put the arguments for a return to the Moon, and a lunar outpost, in the most general terms: the Moon is essentially a whole planet, one that has so far been barely touched. But this new planet is only a few days travel away and we have already camped on it. To turn our backs on the Moon would be equivalent to European exploration stopping after Columbus’s few landings, or China’s destruction of its giant ships to concentrate on domestic problems in the 15th century.”

The Report concludes tomorrow.

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NASA’s Course Set to Change

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government examines NASA’s immediate future in a three-part review

A more definite picture of NASA’s future direction is emerging.

Advocates of space exploration were gratified to note the inclusion of space research in the President’s inaugural address (“We stand at the birth of a new millennium, ready to unlock the mysteries of space.”) In a reversal of the role Obama mandated the space agency to play, the new Administration is emphasizing manned space flight and the pursuit of major goals for human exploration beyond low earth orbit, in the near term, using American spacecraft.

The Morning Ticker recently noted that “The incredible upset win of Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton could have huge ramifications for NASA. Donald Trump may send America back to the moon. That’s what some people are saying now that he and the Republican Party has swept into power, including Newt Gingrich, who himself loves the idea of a colony on the moon. The transition from an Obama presidency to a Trump administration is certain to be a jarring one for NASA. The agency can expect a significant revamp in its mission, focusing much less on climate change and more on space missions, including possibly our first trip to the moon in decades. Analysts suggest that the administration may push for a lunar landing as a stepping stone on the way to Mars. It would also be a very public way to reassert the U.S.’s mastery of the space domain and our closest neighbor.”

According to the Daily Caller,  SpaceX’s founder Elon Musk “made two trips to Trump Tower during the transition period and discussed how NASA could be primed to send astronauts to Mars using public-private partnerships, according to The Washington Post. Trump also met…with space program historian Douglas Brinkley about the Apollo program, which took NASA to the moon during the 1960s…Another billionaire space entrepreneur, Robert Bigelow, thinks that Trump could potentially double NASA’s budget.

There is some similarity in that both Trump and his predecessor favor an expanded role for private sector technology.

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However, the practical application of Obama’s use of the private sector was more in the nature of a replacement for NASA-developed space technology, at least in the immediate future., and particularly in the realm of manned space flight. Trump’s outlook is concentrated on having the private sector complement an ambitious and timely human space program.

The prior president mandated NASA’s attention be directed to efforts intended to assist a climate change agenda. The new Administration appears prepared to return the space agency to its original function. The time table for significant manned space accomplishments appears set to move faster under the Trump Administration.

Trump has long believed that NASA’s emphasis on climate change during the Obama Administration was a misuse of the agency’s budget.  He also doubts the veracity of some of the data produced by various sources used to justify funding within the space agency for that purpose. In a criticism of NASA data, a Real Science review noted that in 1989:

“ …scientists from the United States Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that a study of temperature readings for the contiguous 48 states over the last century showed there had been no significant change in average temperature over that period…But in the year 2000, NASA and NOAA altered the historical US temperature record, which now shows that there was about one degree centigrade US warming during the century before 1989…The altering of Icelandic data by NASA was particularly troubling, because the cooling from 1940 to 1980 was a well known and difficult historical period in Iceland. NASA  erased Iceland’s history, without even the courtesy to contact Iceland’s experts…Additionally, we know that there was tremendous warming in the Arctic prior to the 1940s, which Hansen has erased from the historical record in Iceland, Greenland and elsewhere.”

The report continues tomorrow

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How Trump Will Change NASA

The federal agency that may experience the most significant refocusing under the Trump Administration is also one the smallest: NASA.

With a budget comprising just one-half of one percent of Washington spending, the lowest level since 1960, NASA was repurposed by Mr. Obama to focus on Earth science in support of his climate change agenda.

While robotic interplanetary probes, largely planned before the outgoing President’s arrival, were allowed to survive, the manned space effort was virtually eliminated.

Mr. Obama prematurely cancelled the Space Shuttle program, then defunded what had been planned to be its immediate manned spacecraft replacement, the Constellation system. Another follow-up, The Orion, progressed at a slow pace, with no prospect of placing U.S. astronauts into orbit until well into the next decade.  NASA currently has to pay exorbitant amounts to rival Russia to put American personnel in space.

Spaceflight Insider  noted that candidate Obama claimed he was one of the “agency’s  biggest fans and even co-opted the space agency’s crewed program-of-record at that time (Constellation) when he used the phrase, ‘Moon, Mars and beyond.’ Upon election, he worked to cancel that very program. In fact, had it not been for the actions of Congress, he would probably have set NASA’s efforts to send crews beyond the orbit of Earth back decades.

In a review, The Council on Foreign Relations  (CFR) reported that “Space policy experts agree that NASA faces short- and long-term challenges, including new budget pressures, aging infrastructure, the rise of competing spacefaring nations, and the lack of a strong national vision for human spaceflight. An independent assessment conducted by the National Research Council in 2012 questioned plans for not pursuing a return to the moon: ‘[The] lack of national and international consensus … undermines NASA’s ability to establish a comprehensive, consistent strategic direction.’ The report also noted that a crewed mission to Mars ‘has never received sufficient funding to advance beyond the rhetoric stage.”

The mothballing of American manned spaceflight was seen as a betrayal.  During his first campaign for office, Mr. Obama, in a speech to NASA workers, promised that he would support placing U.S. personnel in space on American craft .  Following the election, he moved to eliminate the manned space program.

Restoring the space agency to its glory days, along with the economic, scientific and prestige benefits that engenders, fit precisely with President-elect Trump’s “Make America Great Again” emphasis. In comments reported by the Planetary Society  he stated:

“I will free NASA from the restriction of serving primarily as a logistics agency for low-Earth orbit activity—big deal. Instead, we will refocus its mission on space exploration. Under a Trump Administration, Florida and America will lead the way into the stars…A cornerstone of my policy is we will substantially expand public private partnerships to maximize the amount of investment and funding that is available for space exploration and development. This means launching and operating major space assets, right here, that employ thousands and spur innovation and fuel economic growth.”
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Space News  provided a summary (excerpted below) of the Trump Administration’s space plans:

  1. A “commitment to global space leadership”
  2. A reinstitution of the National Space Council, headed by the vice president, to oversee all government space efforts to seek efficiencies and eliminate redundancies.
  3. Human exploration of the solar system by the end of the century
  4. Shifting NASA budgets to “deep space achievements” rather than Earth science and climate research.
  5. Development of small satellite technologies that in particular can provide resiliency for the military, and also develop satellite servicing technologies.
  6. Seek world leadership in hypersonics technology, including for military applications.
  7. Hand over access to and operations in low Earth orbit to the commercial sector.
  8. Start discussions about including more “private and public partners” in operations and financing of the International Space Station, including extending the station’s lifetime.
  9. Require that all federal agencies develop plans for how they would use “space assets and space developments” to carry out their missions.

The growing role of the private sector, which began both as necessity and opportunity during the Obama Administration, would continue.

The Washington Post and others have reported that Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-Oklahoma) a leading space exploration supporter and former Navy pilot is being considered to lead NASA.

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NASA Manned Spaceflight Endangered

The President’s proposed 2017 budget does little to change the disappointing fact that America’s returned to crewed space flight in a NASA vehicle won’t take place  until 2023.  In contrast, private companies are moving steadily ahead to finally restore a means to launch astronauts from U.S. soil.

The President’s $19,025,000,000 2017 NASA budget proposal represents a 1.3%, $300 million reduction from the prior year.

There is much controversy in the continuing diversion of funding within the space agency from its traditional mission of manned space flight while dramatically, to the tune of $2 billion, increasing Earth Science research by 70% over the years, mostly to advance Mr. Obama’s climate change agenda.

Of the total funds requested for NASA, less than half, $8,413,000,000, is designated for human space flight. Within the proposed NASA general science funding request for $5,601,000,000, the lion’s share is designated for Earth Science, $2,032,000,000, an increase of 5.8%, $111 million over the FY 2016 enacted budget.

House space subcommittee chair Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) previously noted:

“It is no secret that this Committee is concerned that the support within NASA for the [Space Launch System] and Orion (a manned spacecraft) is not matched by the Administration. While this lack of commitment is somewhat puzzling, it is not at all surprising. The President has made clear that he does not believe space exploration is a priority for the nation and has allowed political appointees within the administration to manipulate the course of our human space flight program. These decisions should be made by the scientists, engineers, and program managers that have decades of experience in human space flight…The Administration has consistently requested large reductions for these programs despite the insistence of Congress that they be priorities.”

The New York Analysis of Policy & Government noted in December that “President Obama prematurely cancelled the Space Shuttle program, then defunded what had been planned to be its immediate manned spacecraft replacement, the Constellation system. The Orion system is the next on the list, if funding for that effort continues at the current pace.”

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NASA’s Spaceflight.com states that “NASA officials have admitted the interim Upper Stage for the Space Launch System is at the top of their ‘worry list’, as the Agency’s key advisory group insists NASA should make a decision about bringing the more powerful Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) online sooner. The Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) fears NASA is at risk of wasting $150 million on an Upper Stage they intend to ‘toss away’.

NASA sources note that this has been presenting the space agency with a headache for some time, although it took the recent ASAP meeting to finally confirm those concerns to the public.

“The next big event is test flight Exploration Mission (EM)-1, on track for 2018 – a 24-day, unscrewed cis-lunar voyage that will inject a lot of energy into the Program. The following flight, EM-2 that will have a crew, brings up an issue that deserves attention,” noted the minutes from the meeting.

“Presently, the Program does not have the upper stage that it needs because of lack of funding. A new upper stage, called the Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), will be developed for future crewed flights.

“As a fall back, NASA is planning to use the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion System (ICPS) that will get the job done through the test flight, but it is not what NASA will be using eventually.”

A NASA committee was told it will cost “at least $150 million” to human-rate the ICPS, something the panel believe “will be wasted because this design will be ‘tossed’ in the near future.

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NASA Seeks to Protect Earth from Asteroid Impacts

NASA is taking steps to deal with the ultimate global disaster, a holocaust that could occur anytime from a few weeks to a few thousand years from now, but which has a significant probability of happening and that, in the distant past, already caused the mass extinction of planetary life, ending the reign of the dinosaurs.

The U.S. space agency is implementing an Asteroid Grand Challenge, designed to accelerate NASA’s efforts to locate potentially hazardous asteroids through non-traditional collaborations and partnerships. Part of the program will be to explore ways in which potentially hazardous asteroids could be deflected away from Earth.

NASA’s JPL facility  has announced that it “has formalized its ongoing program for detecting and tracking near-Earth objects (NEOs) as the Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). … [It] will also take a leading role in coordinating interagency and intergovernmental efforts in response to any potential impact threats.”

NASA reports that more than 13,500 near-Earth objects of all sizes have been discovered to date — more than 95 percent of them since NASA-funded surveys began in 1998. About 1,500 NEOs are now detected each year.

According to John Grunesfeld, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, “Asteroid detection, tracking and defense of our planet is something that NASA, its interagency partners, and the global community take very seriously. While there are no known impact threats at this time, the 2013 Chelyabinsk super-fireball and the recent ‘Halloween Asteroid’ close approach remind us of why we need to remain vigilant and keep our eyes to the sky. NASA has been engaged in worldwide planning for planetary defense for some time, and this office will improve and expand on those efforts, working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies and departments.

“With more than 90 percent of NEOs larger than 3,000 feet (1 kilometer) already discovered, NASA is now focused on finding objects that are slightly bigger than a football field — 450 feet (140 meters) or larger. In 2005, NASA was tasked with finding 90 percent of this class of NEOs by the end of 2020. NASA-funded surveys have detected an estimated 25 percent of these mid-sized but still potentially hazardous objects to date.

How to boost erection size and erection quality naturally to penetrate deeper into her genital passage and cialis uk no prescription last longer in bed and satisfy her with mind-blowing sexual pleasure. Psychological issues include prolonged cialis prices stress, long-term depression, anticipatory anxiety, and relationship issues. The majority of men are not comfortable with the lack of long-term use data (i.e., the product was first approved and released to the public, it has viagra online no prescriptions gotten the attention of the general public. That’s why doctor prescribe muscle relaxants such as Baclofen that significantly improve viagra on line australia the recovery process and make it much easier to lead a healthy erotic life and make it altogether more fun and enjoyable with female libido enhancement strategies, every woman can now achieve her fullest sexual potential. “NASA’s long-term planetary defense goals include developing technology and techniques for deflecting or redirecting objects that are determined to be on an impact course with Earth. NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission concept would demonstrate the effectiveness of the gravity tractor method of planetary defense, using the mass of another object to pull an asteroid slightly from its original orbital path. The joint NASA-European Space Agency Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA) mission concept, if pursued, would demonstrate an impact deflection method of planetary defense.

“Even if intervention is not possible, NASA would provide expert input to FEMA about impact timing, location and effects to inform emergency response operations. In turn, FEMA would handle the preparations and response planning related to the consequences of atmospheric entry or impact to U.S. communities.”

A space agency “asteroid initiative” study concluded that the “Asteroid Grand Challenge (AGC)… is seeking the best ideas to find all asteroid threats to human populations, and to accelerate the work that NASA is already doing for planetary defense. The Asteroid Initiative will leverage and integrate NASA’s activities in human exploration, space technology, and space science to advance the technologies and capabilities needed for future human and robotic exploration, to enable the first human mission to interact with asteroid material, and to accelerate efforts to detect, track, characterize, and mitigate the threat of potentially hazardous asteroids.”

Similar to spectacular science fiction films about asteroid threats, a NASA attempt to deflect a menacing object would involve a human crew. The AGC study outlined “concepts for extra-vehicular activity (EVA) systems, such as space suits, tools, and translation aids that will allow astronauts to explore the surface of a captured asteroid, prospect for resources, and collect samples.”

Unfortunately, NASA’s plans for manned space flights continue to be pushed further into the future.  President Obama prematurely ended the Space Shuttle program, then cancelled its successor, the Constellation.  The newest version, the Orion spacecraft, essentially an updated and enlarged Apollo-era vehicle, will not take astronauts into space until 2023.

NASA’s limited budget has concentrated attention on the White House’s environmental issues rather than the space agency’s original human exploratory mission.

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America’s future is being defunded

There is a general misconception that funding for the National Aeronautics & Space Administration, (NASA) is a luxury, even though it consumes a mere one-half of one percent of the federal budget.  The fact is, for America’s economy, its national security, and the health of the planetary environment, space is absolutely essential. There is, perhaps, even more at stake. Stephen Hawking emphasizes that “the long term future of the human race must be space… it represents an important life insurance for our future survival…”

Whether NASA gets the funding it needs remains an open question. Space News notes that  “NASA is currently spending money on its key exploration programs at a rate that assumes Congress will approve a budget increase in the next month, a move that could delay some efforts should the additional funds not materialize.”

At risk is whether the space agency will be able to resume its human space flight program any time in the near future.  Recent estimates indicate that the earliest a NASA-designed crewed spacecraft will carry astronauts into orbit will be well into the next decade.  President Obama prematurely cancelled the Space Shuttle program, then defunded what had been planned to be its immediate manned spacecraft replacement, the Constellation system. The Orion system is the next on the list, if funding for that effort continues at an adequate pace.

It’s an open disgrace that America must pay exorbitant amounts to Russia for American astronauts to hitchhike on their spacecraft to reach the space station that was largely built by NASA.

The Council on Foreign Relations  (CFR) reports that “Space policy experts agree that NASA faces short- and long-term challenges, including new budget pressures, aging infrastructure, the rise of competing spacefaring nations, and the lack of a strong national vision for human spaceflight. An independent assessment conducted by the National Research Council in 2012 questioned plans for not pursuing a return to the moon: “[The] lack of national and international consensus … undermines NASA’s ability to establish a comprehensive, consistent strategic direction.” The report also noted that a crewed mission to Mars “has never received sufficient funding to advance beyond the rhetoric stage.”

CFR warns that “Space policymakers must clarify NASA’s purpose, missions, and methods. How should NASA balance the goals of driving scientific discovery, promoting U.S. prestige, enhancing national security, and developing innovations with commercial benefits? What role should the private sector play? How much should NASA be a vehicle for international cooperation and diplomacy? How should U.S. space exploration inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics students?
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Most experts advocate sustaining U.S. leadership in space. “I’m convinced that in this century the nations that lead in the world are going to be those that create new knowledge. And one of the places where you have a huge opportunity to create new knowledge will be exploration of the universe, exploration of the solar system, and the building of technology that allows you to do that,” said former congressman and aerospace expert Robert Walker at a CFR meeting on space policy in 2013.”

While Washington dithers, other nations are moving ahead at full speed. Yahoo reports  that Russia’s space agency is planning to build a permanent, manned moon base. Many other nations, noting the vital economic and military needs for space prowess, are moving quickly ahead as well.

CNN reports that “China by virtue of the ambition of its space program stands out. Already, it has managed to land a rover on the Moon and to return an unmanned spacecraft from orbiting the Moon as part of its preparation for an eventual manned landing. It also aims to have a manned space station operational by 2020.”

It’s not just nations traditionally thought of as great military or economic superpowers that are serious about advanced space activities.  The Diplomat reports that   “India recently made history, when its Mars Orbiter Mission successfully entered the Martian orbit. In doing so, it became the first country to enter Mars’ orbit on its first attempt and also the first Asian country to reach the red planet…India is among a handful of countries to have carried out deep space missions, and it was on its first such mission in 2008 that its spacecraft Chandrayaan entered the moon’s orbit. It was on this mission too that water was detected on the lunar surface. It has the biggest remote sensing satellite network in the world. It is also among a select group of countries that provide commercial satellite launch services – putting into space 67 satellites, including 40 foreign satellites from 19 countries…”

While other powers move ahead, NASA continues to face a future clouded by uncertainty and a profound lack of support by the current White House. Technology expert Aaron Andre   reasoned three years ago that “for about the cost of two weeks of the Olympic Games we could have sent over another five rovers to Mars. In fact, the amount of money needed to fund the Olympic Games could fund NASA for nearly an entire year.”

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America’s crisis in space

America’s return to human space flight capability has been pushed yet again into the future.

The Orion spacecraft, already in the relatively distant future of 2021, has been pushed back again to 2023. That date would mean that NASA manned spacecraft would be absent from space for a stunning 12 years, since the Space Shuttle Atlantis mission of July 2011.

The gap was to be filled by the Constellation spaceflight system, which President Obama cancelled, leaving the United States with no domestic human spaceflight capability.  Constellation was to be used for both earth orbital missions and a return to the moon.

According to Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas)  “Once again, the Obama administration is choosing to delay deep space exploration priorities such as Orion and the Space Launch System that will take U.S. astronauts to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.  While this administration has consistently cut funding for these programs and delayed their development, Congress has consistently restored funding as part of our commitment to maintaining American leadership in space. We must chart a compelling course for our nation’s space program so that we can continue to inspire future generations of scientists, engineers and explorers.  I urge this administration to follow the lead of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s NASA Authorization Act to fully fund NASA’s exploration programs.”

The administration’s FY16 budget request proposed cuts of more than $440 million for the programs while earth science accounts have increased by 63 percent during the past eight years. Thirteen agencies do climate research, but only one conducts space exploration.

According to NASA,  the “Orion spacecraft is built to take humans farther than they’ve ever gone before. Orion will serve as the exploration vehicle that will carry the crew to space, provide emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during the space travel, and provide safe re-entry from deep space return velocities. Orion will launch on NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System.”

Many have expressed deep concern that NASA has been politicized by the Obama Administration. It has been charged that the space agency has been mainly used to further the White House’s environmental agenda. They point to the diversion of funds from traditional efforts such as manned space flight and towards climate change.

In 2010, several former APOLLO program astronauts wrote to the White House to oppose the Administration’s controversial new direction for NASA, noting that “Without the skill and experience that actual spacecraft operation provides, the USA is far too likely to be on a long downhill slide to mediocrity.  America must decide if it wishes to remain a leader in space.  If it does, we should institute a program which will give us the very best chance of achieving that goal.”
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Critics of the White House also point to bizarre comments made by Charles Bolden, whom the President appointed to run the space agency. Shortly after his appointment, Bolden, speaking in Cairo, stated

“…before I became the NASA administrator [President Obama] charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science.”

In other comments, Bolden stated that his most important task as head of NASA was to reach out to Muslims.

Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas) has introduced legislation to de-politicize the space agency.

“I authored the Space Leadership Preservation Act which would make NASA more professional and less political by establishing a long-term NASA Administrator who overlaps presidential administrations, creating a board to drive the vision for NASA exploration, and allowing NASA to develop spacecraft using long term contracts. This legislation would provide NASA with stability and authority to pursue our universe’s most pressing questions.”

Rep. Steven Palazzo, (R-Mississippi) the House of Representatives Space subcommittee chair, applauded a budget bill earlier this year that rebalanced the space agency’s budget towards NASA’s traditional activities.

By putting off the lion’s share of funding to long after it has left office, the Obama Administration may have eluded the harsh criticism it may otherwise have faced if it had simply stated that it was defunding NASA’s human spaceflight program.

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U.S. Losing the economic & defense high ground in space

For far too long, the U.S. space program has been treated as a frill—something desirable and good, but not essential to the military, economic, and scientific health of the nation.

It is difficult for Americans brought up on the history of the U.S. beating Russia to the moon to realize that their nation is now rapidly falling behind. Fifty-two countries, according to the Space Foundation,  now conduct space activities. “Many nations now recognize the strategic value and practical benefits of space assets and are pursuing space capabilities.”

According to Rep. Bill Posey (R-Florida)  “NASA and America’s mission in space are important components to our national security…and national economic growth; and to the advancement of new technologies and our global economic competitiveness. America’s achievements in space are universally recognized and admired around the world. Yet, today our nation’s leadership in space is being threatened by Russia, China, India and others. We must recognize and respond to this threat with urgency. We cannot rely on our past and pretend that is enough to propel us as the world leader in space. Too many in Washington have lost the vision and they have taken our past achievements for granted…We, as a nation cannot afford to take a backseat to anyone when it comes to space. We must lead. Our failure to do so will cede the final frontier to others who do not have our best interest at heart and it will jeopardize our technological superiority, our economic security and our national security.”

America’s Space Industry is faltering. While NASA has sought to move forward, the budget plug gets pulled with alarming regularity. According to Posey, “In the last 20 years NASA has spent more than $20B on cancelled development programs.”

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce  notes that “The United States invented the space industry, but steadily over the last decade or more, the country has seen global competitors increase their capability to launch satellites and people into space, even as the United States has spun its wheels and gained little ground, stuck in the quicksand of bureaucracy and misaligned public and private interests…

“This industry is very smart, and we’re living off a set of past wonders that were achieved in the 60s, 70s and 80s and think that that carries through to today,” said John Higginbotham, chairman & CEO of Blue Ridge Networks. “We have to get real and look in the mirror. We had it right , but the recipe got out of whack…Maybe we should listen to people in other industries, in other countries, and look at other business models.”

In the hey-day of American space exploration, the U.S. private sector worked hand-in-hand with their public counterparts, collaborating to develop something the world had never seen. Though rocket science grew out of World War II, NASA, other parts of the U.S. government and the American private sector took an emerging idea and refined it into a robust industry. It also did this in record time. Recently, however, the public-private relationship has broken down with cascading effects throughout the industry and those industries that support it.

“If you actually look at the launch industry,” said Linda Maxwell, Aerospace, Defense and Government (ADG) Investment Banking Group, Houlihan Lokey, who also spoke on the panel, “when United Launch Alliance is using Russian and Ukrainian rockets to throw our commercial satellites into space, you know something is wrong…”

“In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the United States was a satellite powerhouse, providing satellite capabilities for more than 90% of the global market. …To have the statement that 1 out of 25 satellite operators is a resident of the United States is a dismal failure.”

What happened? Export controls and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Since 1976, the United States has kept a list of defense-related technology, weapons and other items whose export and import is regulated by the federal government. ITAR was borne of the Cold War and the U.S. effort to control arms exports.  In 1999, another set of technologies was added to the regulated U.S. Munitions List – satellites. This made what was already a costly and complex endeavor significantly more challenging, if not impossible in some cases.

With heavy regulations on U.S. business’ ability to sell satellite infrastructure, companies and investors also lost the cash flows that come from providing goods and services. By limiting how satellite infrastructure could be used, sold and launched, the United States effectively took itself out of 95% of the global market – this for an industry America invented and propelled to world-changing ends.
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“If you ask major aerospace firms why they are losing to competitors abroad, it is because of ITAR regulations,” said Maxwell. “International customers don’t want to come here…The amount of regulation on the way that the government does business is stifling the profitability and time to market.”

In 2013, the National Defense Authorization Act removed that restriction, though it may have been too late.

“Even as U.S. space initiatives have slowed to a leisurely stroll, other countries are sprinting ahead, seizing the opportunity to acquire a larger stake in the industry while the United States sleepily allows its supremacy in space to slip away…

“While regulations are a hindrance, another challenge for investors and the U.S. space industry overall is a lack of a national mission and unreliable mission consistency between administrations…”

NASA’s Budget Woes

Rep. Posey, in statements noted by the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald, has been sharply critical of President Obama’s role in cutting funding for key  space agency programs, particularly manned space flight.  In 2011, he stated “After the administration let NASA flounder for the past two years, a flawed NASA authorization bill was finally agreed to and signed into law… Now the administration is proposing to ignore this law, placing a higher priority on global warming research and making cuts to the next-generation launch vehicle.  Over two years ago, the president promised to close the space gap, but now he seems intent on repeating the events that created the space gap in the first place — putting in place a new rocket design and then trying to underfund the effort, ensuring that it will never happen and ceding American leadership in space to China and Russia.”

Of course, NASA’s problems did not first arise under the Obama presidency, although his Administration must take responsibility for pulling the plug on the Shuttle program before a substitute crewed vehicle could be prepared, and for diverting funds away from key projects to more fully fund climate change studies.

This year, The Republican-controlled Congress has also cut funding from the development of crucially needed commercial crewed vehicles. The reason given was that it allowed dependence on Russian craft for too long going forward.

Space defense also troubled

It is not just the civilian side of space that is a concern.

The Breaking Defense  publication quoted Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work’s worries about  “increasing threats” against America’s satellites “While we rely heavily on space capabilities, in both peace and war, we must continue to emphasize space control as challenges arise…To maintain our military dominance we must consider all space assets, both classified and unclassified, as part of a single constellation. And if an adversary tries to deny us the capability, we must be able to respond in an integrated, coordinated fashion.” China’s capability to destroy U.S. satellite in orbit is a key motivation for the Pentagon’s concern.

On June 26, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Alabama), chair of the House Armed Services Committee addressed a hearing of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces on America’s reliance on Russian rocket engines. He stressed that without “an effective space launch program, we lose all the advantages from space capabilities. Losing space for our warfighters is not an option… Because we are committing to ending our reliance on Russian engines, we must invest in the United States rocket propulsion industrial base.  Investment in our industry for advanced rocket engines is overdue.  While we may lead in some areas of rocket propulsion, we are clearly not leading in all.  This is painfully obvious considering that 2 out of the 3 U.S. launch providers we have here today rely on Russian engines.  And it’s not just the Russians leading the way — according to online press reports, the Chinese may be flying a new launch vehicle on a maiden flight this summer, with similar technologies as the Russians, using an advanced kerosene engine.”

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America’s vanishing manned space program

The debate over America’s human presence in space has begun.

Since the start of the Obama Administration, NASA’s emphasis has altered dramatically, as financial support for exploration and space operations, including human flight, has been slashed by 7.9%. Meanwhile, earth science, including both legitimate research as well as questionable endeavors primarily designed to bolster the President’s climate change agenda, experienced a 41% increase. A General Accounting Office study found that “NASA had not matched resources to requirements” for programs related to human space flight.

In addition to funding shifts, ideological changes were imposed as well. NASA chief Charles Bolden made a bizarre remark .  in 2010  that one of NASA’s chief goals was to reach out to Moslems.

Critics have not hidden their disdain for the course NASA has been given under the current White House. John L. Casey, a former White House space policy advisor, stated in a recent exclusive interview on the Vernuccio/Novak Report that NASA was engaging in “data doctoring” to support global warming theory advocates and essentially ignoring its core mission.

Human space flight was essentially removed from NASA’s short-term goals in 2010 when Mr. Obama cancelled the Constellation program,after prematurely ending the space shuttle program. The U.S. remains dependent on Russia to place astronauts in space. While underfunded work very slowly proceeds on plans for the future Orion crewed vehicle and the related Space Launch System, both are essentially updates on concepts originally designed in the late 1960’s and do not represent a significant path for a return to American preeminence in space. Neither of these efforts will actually be capable of putting astronauts in space, if ever, until after the Obama Administration leaves office.
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The White House counters criticism by stating their support for NASA’s manned space efforts, emphasizing its support ($438.8 increase requested) for development of commercially operated spacecraft, part of a modest $519 million hike in the agency’s overall budget. However, the Orion and Space Launch System programs, which are the only significant NASA efforts to restore America’s ability to put astronauts into space, would endure a combined $2.8 billion reduction in the 2016 budget.

House Science Committee Chair Lamar Smith (R-Texas), quoted in Spacenews, noted “The President’s words mean nothing if crucial priorities such as SLS and Orion aren’t given the funding they need in his budget request.”

Following the Republican capture of the Senate in the 2014 elections, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tx) was named as chair of the Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness. He is seeking to re-emphasize NASA’s original mission, and noted, at the start of hearings on NASA’s 2016 budget:

“As we begin the process of putting a road map together for the future of NASA there is one vital question that this committee should examine. Should NASA focus primarily inwards or outwards beyond lower-Earth orbit? Since the end of the last administration we have seen a disproportionate increase in the amount of federal funds that have been allocated to the Earth Science program at the expense of and compared to Exploration and Space Operations, Planetary Science, Heliophysics and Astrophysics which I believe are all rooted in exploration and should be central to the core mission of NASA.”

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White House, Congress Clash over NASA

January is an appropriate time to consider not just the months ahead but also the coming years.

Americans have been a future-oriented people, deeply concerned about providing a better future for their children and grandchildren. Somehow, that appears to have changed, as mounting debt and a need for immediate gratification has clouded the nations’ perspective.

One area where the two views have clashed is the space program. The House of Representatives has generally viewed NASA’s activities as essential to the economic future of the country.  The Obama Administration has been far less supportive, ending the space shuttle program prematurely and delaying its replacement, the Orion spacecraft, as the U.S. continues its dubious dependence of Russia to place astronauts into orbit.

The clash between the White House and the House was evident at a Space Sub Committee  hearing recently.

Chair Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) noted:
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“It is no secret that this Committee is concerned that the support within NASA for the SLS and Orion is not matched by the Administration. While this lack of commitment is somewhat puzzling, it is not at all surprising. The President has made clear that he does not believe space exploration is a priority for the nation and has allowed political appointees within the administration to manipulate the course of our human space flight program. These decisions should be made by the scientists, engineers, and program managers that have decades of experience in human space flight…The Administration has consistently requested large reductions for these programs despite the insistence of Congress that they be priorities. Most recently, the President’s budget for Fiscal Year 2015 included a request to reduce these programs by over $330 million compared to the Fiscal Year 2014 enacted appropriation. Additionally, in the 2013, 2014, 2015 budget requests, the Administration asked for reductions of $175.1 million, $87 million, and  $144.2 million respectively for the Orion program relative to the enacted appropriations.

“Had Congress agreed to the requests, Orion and the SLS would have incurred hundreds of millions of dollars in reductions and would likely face significant delays and mass layoffs. Thankfully, Congress listened to the program managers and industry partners to ensure these programs were appropriately funded.

“Congress has once again demonstrated support for the SLS and Orion by providing funding well above the president’s budget request in the Omnibus for fiscal year 2015. While these priority programs may not enjoy support within the Administration, they certainly do from Congress.”

The White House continues to maintain that the American space program leads the world.