Committee Chair Says Alternatives "Look Like Cartoons"

At a hearing before the House Science and Technology Committee Tuesday, Human Space Flight Commission Chair Norman Augustine found himself defending the committees' recommendations to scrap a planned return to the moon given NASA's budget constraints. The Commission did say a return to the moon was feasible, but only if NASA's budget were increase by about $3 billion per year.

Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ), chair of the Space subcommittee, said she was angry about the recommendations. “We’ve been given a set of alternatives that almost look like cartoons,” she said.

Bloomberg News reports Augustine replied that Giffords might not have enough information. “I respect your feelings,” he said to Gifford during the hearing. “I must question your facts.”

Among the recommendations of the Human Space Flight Commission was that NASA continue to use current shuttle technology, which dates back to the 1970's, as a cost cutting measure. There were also recommendations that an unmanned expedition to Mars or exploration of asteroids were feasible. But to continue the Constellation program, which has suffered some technological setbacks, additional money would be needed. “The current program that’s being pursued is not executable,” Augustine told the panel.

NASA Orion Capsule Scale Model Water Test

Simply to continue the shuttle program beyond its expected retirement next year would cost an additional $2.5 billion per year, Augustine said.

Former President Bush introduced the ambitious return to the moon by 2020 in his second term in office, and President Obama had originally agreed to that timeline. Representative Ralph Hall (R-TX), the committees senior Republican, said NASA's direction is not the issue. “Why don’t we just fund the programs we’ve agreed to,” he said.

FMI: http://science.house.gov/