Friendly Senate Hearing for NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth
On June 13, Conrad Burns (R-MT), chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, held a supportive hearing on NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth. In contrast to recent criticisms of the program by House Science Committee Chair Robert Walker (R-PA), Burns’ hearing showcased witnesses who praised the program and supported it as currently planned. Burns stated that the program has the potential to “easily pay for itself.”
The witnesses gave examples of how data from NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth programs, including EOS, Landsat, and TOPEX/Poseidon, can be used by regional and local governments, private industries, and other federal agencies. Paul Smith, director of atmospheric sciences at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, noted that the major concerns affecting the economy of the upper Missouri River Basin were weather, water, and agriculture. He explained how the region made use of NASA remote sensing data to improve understanding of those processes and provide a better base for policy decisions. Richard Bowers, the city manager for Scottsdale, Arizona, reported that his city was working with NASA to incorporate satellite data into its Geographic Information System. He stated that it had enormous potential to save the city millions of dollars each year in planning, zoning, and mapping activities. Accurate data, he said, is “critical to making wise stewardship decisions.” Tommy Thompson, resource manager for Louisiana-Pacific Corporation, explained how the timber industry uses satellite imagery of a region to assess resources and needs, and develop long-term management plans.
In the House, Walker has proposed reduced funding for EOS, and particularly its Data and Information System (EOSDIS). On June 12, he announced a GAO report critical of the EOS budget, which estimated its total cost at about $33 billion. In the accompanying press release, Walker stated, “It is clear that the original price of this program must be scaled down. We have to make the decisions today that will lead to long-term savings.... The ground-based portion of the program must also be rescoped.... A smaller-scale data information system would fulfill the requirements of the program.”
Burns gave his witnesses the opportunity to refute these criticisms. NASA’s Associate Administrator for Mission to Planet Earth, Charles Kennel, responded that GAO did not take into account ongoing NASA efforts, such as the New Millennium program, to develop and incorporate new technologies that would reduce future costs. Al Watkins, director of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Mapping Division, stressed the importance of making the data easily accessible to a large community of users. “History shows,” he said, “that poorly-implemented ground systems can have devastating effects on the quality of scientific research.”
Noting that “the taxpayers are really getting more for their money” from the program than “what they read in the papers,” Burns said that he and the full Senate commerce committee chair, Larry Pressler (R-SD), were strong supporters of Mission to Planet Earth. Although unable to attend the hearing, Pressler has been quoted in “Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report” as suggesting that funding for the space station might perhaps be better spent on Mission to Planet Earth. However, the Senate does not often develop authorization bills, and Burns gave no indication that he was drafting one this year.
