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Nasa's Commercial Crew Development NASA’S COMMERCIAL CREW DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CHALLENGES HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011 Serial No. 112–46 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 70–800PDF WASHINGTON : 2011 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. RALPH M. HALL, Texas, Chair F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas Wisconsin JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California DANA ROHRABACHER, California ZOE LOFGREN, California ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland BRAD MILLER, North Carolina FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona W. TODD AKIN, Missouri DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas BEN R. LUJA´ N, New Mexico PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia PAUL D. TONKO, New York SANDY ADAMS, Florida JERRY MCNERNEY, California BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona JOHN P. SARBANES, Maryland CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama Tennessee FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi VACANCY MO BROOKS, Alabama ANDY HARRIS, Maryland RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana DAN BENISHEK, Michigan VACANCY (II) C O N T E N T S Wednesday, October 26, 2011 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Ralph M. Hall, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ..................... 17 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 19 Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Minority Mem- ber, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Rep- resentatives ........................................................................................................... 20 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 22 Witnesses: Panel I Mr. John Elbon, Vice President and General Manager for Space Exploration, The Boeing Company, Houston, TX Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 26 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 28 Mr. Steve Lindsey, Director of Space Exploration, Sierra Nevada Space Sys- tems, Louisville, CO Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 33 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 35 Mr. Elon Musk, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Space Exploration Tech- nologies Corp., Hawthorne, CA Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 40 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 42 Mr. Charlie Precourt, Vice President, ATK Launch Systems Group, Brigham City, UT Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 50 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 52 Dr. George Sowers, Vice President, United Launch Alliance, Englewood, CO Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 61 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 63 Panel II The Hon. Paul Martin, Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 89 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 90 Mr. William H. Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Ad- ministration Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 94 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 95 (III) IV Page Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Mr. John Elbon, Vice President and General Manager for Space Exploration, The Boeing Company, Houston, TX .................................................................... 114 Mr. Steve Lindsey, Director of Space Exploration, Sierra Nevada Space Sys- tems, Louisville, CO ............................................................................................. 119 Mr. Elon Musk, CEO and Chief Technology Officer, Space Exploration Tech- nologies Corp., Hawthorne, CA ........................................................................... 123 Mr. Charlie Precourt, Vice President, ATK Launch Systems Group, Brigham City, UT ................................................................................................................ 131 Dr. George Sowers, Vice President, United Launch Alliance, Englewood, CO .. 135 The Hon. Paul Martin, Inspector General, National Aeronautics and Space Administration ..................................................................................................... 139 Mr. William H. Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, National Aeronautics and Space Ad- ministration .......................................................................................................... 142 Appendix II: Additional Material for the Record Statement submitted by Representative Jerry Costello, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................... 152 Letter submitted by Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ..................... 153 NASA’S COMMERCIAL CREW DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND CHALLENGES WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:04 a.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ralph Hall [Chairman of the Committee] presiding. (1) 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Chairman HALL. The Committee on Science, Space, and Tech- nology will come to order, and I say good morning to everyone. Mrs. Johnson, before we get started with the meeting, I will go ahead and ask the witnesses to indulge us just for a few minutes to take care of some Committee business here. It is my under- standing Ms. Johnson as the Ranking Member of the Full Com- mittee has some housekeeping she would like the Committee to un- dertake regarding the Democrat Caucus Subcommittee Ranking Member assignments and rosters. The proposed modified roster is in front of each of you here. I am not sure if some of their members want to switch parties, or what this is about, but we will yield to you as much time as you would like to have. Ms. JOHNSON. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. We just want to announce that we are taking applications for party switch- es to this side. But we do have a couple of Subcommittee vacancies to fill on the Democratic side, and so pursuant to the direction of the Democratic Caucus of the Committee, I move that the following Subcommittee assignments be made: Ms. Edwards of Maryland to serve as Rank- ing Member of the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation; that Mr. Tonko of New York replace Ms. Edwards as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight; and that Mr. Clarke of Michigan be assigned to serve on the Sub- committee on Space and Aeronautics. And that ends our report and request. Thank you. Chairman HALL. All right. Without objection, it is so ordered. I now ask unanimous consent that the Committee adopt the re- vised roster in front of them reflecting these appointments as out- lined by Ranking Member Johnson. Hearing no objection, the re- vised roster is adopted. Moving on, I would like to welcome everyone to today’s hearing, ‘‘NASA’s Commercial Crew Development Program: Accomplish- ments and Challenges.’’ That covers a long area there looking back and looking forward, and in front of you are packets containing the written testimony, biographies and Truth in Testimony disclosures for today’s witnesses, and today’s hearing will include two panels, and I recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement. I say to all, good morning, and thank you. I know it takes valu- able time to travel here and to travel back and to prepare your- selves for this, and we write legislation based on things we hear from people like you because you know more
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