The Senate VA/HUD Appropriations Subcommittee met on March 11 to hear
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe discuss his agency's budget request
for fiscal year 2005, which incorporates the President's new Space
Exploration Initiative. The President has requested $16.2 billion -
a 5.6 percent increase - for NASA. "Unfortunately," subcommittee
chairman Christopher "Kit" Bond (R-MO) commented, "this
impressive increase raises more questions at this time than excitement."
Bond's main concern was the four-year gap between the planned phase-out
of the shuttle in 2010 and the expected launch date of the yet-to-be-developed
Crew Exploration Vehicle. "I am not convinced that a four-year
gap in U.S. manned space flight is sound policy," he argued, "and,
more importantly, I am convinced that this time schedule is too optimistic." Ranking
Minority Member Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) focused on the proposed cancellation
of the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, which
she called "NASA's greatest success since the Apollo program." Both
senators questioned whether the costs and schedule for the exploration
initiative were too ambitious, and warned that funding increases for
NASA must compete against other demands within the VA/HUD subcommittee's
jurisdiction.
Senators Richard Shelby (R-AL) and full committee chairman Ted Stevens (R-AK)
joined Bond and Mikulski in questioning the impact of the new exploration
initiative on other NASA programs. "I'm concerned," Shelby said, "as
a lot of other people are, with the significant reduction in funding" for
physical sciences research on the space station and shuttle, particularly
in the area of materials science. He noted that crew health depends on more
than just biological research; both the Challenger and Columbia tragedies "were
due to materials failures," he pointed out. "It's about priorities," was
the mantra O'Keefe repeated several times throughout the hearing. He explained
that the exploration initiative would focus all of NASA's programs and capabilities
on a common effort, giving greater clarity and focus to the agency's mission.
He did not expect "a big diminution in those central objectives the
agency has been chartered to do." O'Keefe also said that some materials
science research would continue aboard the space station.
In answer to Bond's concern about the delay between shuttle retirement
and availability of a crew exploration vehicle, O'Keefe said that the
milestone for retiring the shuttle was the completion of the space
station, not an arbitrary date. He said the time for station completion
would depend on the final space station configuration to be agreed
upon by NASA and its international partners, and he suggested that
an operational crew exploration vehicle might be ready earlier than
currently planned.
Mikulski noted that a review of the decision to cancel the final servicing
mission to the Hubble Telescope, by Columbia Accident Investigation
Board (CAIB) Chairman Admiral Harold Gehman, has led to a call for
further study of the issue. Gehman's review concluded that "only
a deep and rich study of the entire gain/risk equation can answer the
question of whether an extension of the life of the wonderful Hubble
telescope is worth the risks involved." Mikulski and Bond have
asked the National Academy of Sciences and the General Accounting Office
to study the risks and costs of a servicing mission. Although insisting
upon following the CAIB's safety recommendations, O'Keefe said he welcomed
the additional reviews. He urged that alternative ways to service the
telescope or extend its useful life, such as reducing the rate of battery
use, also be examined.
The budget numbers in the Senate budget resolution "will mean
unacceptable shortfalls for a number of key VA/HUD programs," including
veterans' medical care and housing assistance, Bond said; "these
shortfalls have to be addressed before we provide increases to new
programs in other accounts." Mikulski added, "the challenge
I see is not competing visions, but competing demands for revenue."
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