DOCSLIB.ORG

The Future of U.S. Human Spaceflight Hearing

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Future of U.S. Human Spaceflight Hearing S. HRG. 111–984 THE FUTURE OF U.S. HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION MAY 12, 2010 Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation ( U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 66–487 PDF 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 VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:33 May 27, 2011 Jkt 066487 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 S:\GPO\DOCS\66487.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Chairman DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas, Ranking JOHN F. KERRY, Massachusetts OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, Maine BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada BARBARA BOXER, California JIM DEMINT, South Carolina BILL NELSON, Florida JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi FRANK R. LAUTENBERG, New Jersey GEORGE S. LEMIEUX, Florida MARK PRYOR, Arkansas JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia CLAIRE MCCASKILL, Missouri DAVID VITTER, Louisiana AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota SAM BROWNBACK, Kansas TOM UDALL, New Mexico MIKE JOHANNS, Nebraska MARK WARNER, Virginia MARK BEGICH, Alaska ELLEN L. DONESKI, Staff Director JAMES REID, Deputy Staff Director BRUCE H. ANDREWS, General Counsel ANN BEGEMAN, Republican Staff Director BRIAN M. HENDRICKS, Republican General Counsel NICK ROSSI, Republican Chief Counsel (II) VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:33 May 27, 2011 Jkt 066487 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\66487.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE C O N T E N T S Page Hearing held on May 12, 2010 ............................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Rockefeller ........................................................................... 1 Statement of Senator Hutchison ............................................................................ 3 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 5 Statement of Senator Nelson .................................................................................. 6 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8 Prepared statement of Captain James A. Lovell, USN (Ret.), Commander, Apollo 13, submitted by Hon. Bill Nelson .......................................................... 71 Statement of Senator Vitter .................................................................................... 8 Statement of Senator LeMieux ............................................................................... 9 Statement of Senator Brownback ........................................................................... 10 Statement of Senator Johanns ............................................................................... 11 Statement of Senator Pryor .................................................................................... 12 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 12 Statement of Senator Warner ................................................................................. 43 WITNESSES Hon. John P. Holdren, Ph.D., Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President of the United States ........................ 12 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 14 Hon. Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration ..................................................................................................... 17 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 19 Neil A. Armstrong, Retired Astronaut, Former Commander, Apollo 11 ............. 45 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 46 Captain Eugene A. Cernan, USN (Retired), Commander, Apollo 17, Astronaut (Retired) ................................................................................................................ 49 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 52 Norman R. Augustine, Chairman, Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee ............................................................................................................. 54 Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 57 APPENDIX Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Charles F. Bolden, Jr. by: Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ............................................................................. 75 Hon. Barbara Boxer ......................................................................................... 82 Hon. Amy Klobuchar ........................................................................................ 82 Hon. Mark Warner ........................................................................................... 83 Response to written question submitted to Norman R. Augustine by: Hon. Kay Bailey Hutchison ............................................................................. 91 Hon. Amy Klobuchar ........................................................................................ 93 (III) VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:33 May 27, 2011 Jkt 066487 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\66487.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:33 May 27, 2011 Jkt 066487 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 S:\GPO\DOCS\66487.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE THE FUTURE OF U.S. HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2010 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION, Washington, DC. The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 2:35 p.m. in room SR–253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV, Chairman of the Committee, presiding. OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, U.S. SENATOR FROM WEST VIRGINIA The CHAIRMAN. This hearing will come to order. Our space program is clearly at a turning point. Earlier this year, the Obama Administration charted a new course. They had been working on it for a long time. And I know there is a lot of uncertainty and disagreement and all kinds of things about that, particularly when it comes to proposed plans for human spaceflight. This hearing is an important opportunity to take a close look at those plans and others. I have said before in this committee and I have addressed it di- rectly with Administrator Bolden during his confirmation that I be- lieve from my personal point of view that we need a new direction. To many, including myself, defenders of the status quo for NASA, be they many or be they few, seem to justify their views solely based on job impact. I do not think we can afford to do that. Jobs in West Virginia are subject number one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven, and always will be. This is a national and international program that we are talking about. I think we have to strike a bal- ance between economic development, which means jobs, and mod- ernizing our space program so we can remain competitive for years to come. NASA’s first mission must be to do what is best for the Nation. The American people deserve the most from their space program. NASA’s role cannot stay static. The President has challenged the U.S. Government to seek greater international collaboration, en- able commercial services, and develop new exploration tech- nologies, and on top of that, I would include vastly expand re- search. You are doing something up there right now, including medical research on MRSA, which kills thousands and thousands of people every year in this country, broad research, technical re- search, engineering research, all kinds of research. There is no bet- ter place to do it. And I think we have to develop new exploration technologies. (1) VerDate Nov 24 2008 12:33 May 27, 2011 Jkt 066487 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 S:\GPO\DOCS\66487.TXT SCOM1 PsN: JACKIE 2 So these are good priorities and they should help ensure that in tough fiscal times, we build our space future in a measured, rel- evant, innovative and sustainable way. And this is not going to be easy. One reason it is not going to be easy is because we are under a, more or less, flat-line budget. Most Americans do not know that. I think most of them would welcome it if they did know it, but for those of us who work in Government and want to push programs forward, that is a hard pill to swallow. That does not affect the De- fense Department. It does not affect the intelligence community. It affects only parts of the veterans community. But NASA’s current budget of $18 billion may be a high water mark. We do not know what a soft freeze means. But it may be a high water mark for years to come. So we have to live with that and make the most of it. We cannot assume the agency will have unlimited resources for every mission it wants to undertake. So, therefore, we have to make hard choices. Today I look forward to a robust evaluation of the agency’s plan for human spaceflight, but more than that, we have to measure and shape those goals against our greater national priorities for the years and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • ANNUAL REPORT Academic Year 2019-2020
    ANNUAL REPORT Academic Year 2019-2020 International Space University The International Space University, founded in 1987 in Massachusetts, US, and now headquartered in Stras- bourg, France, is the world’s premier international space education institution. It is supported by major space agencies and aerospace organizations from around the world. The graduate level programs offered by ISU are dedicated to promoting international, interdisciplinary and intercultural cooperation in space activities. ISU offers the Master of Science in Space Studies program at its Central Campus in Strasbourg. Since the summer of 1988, ISU conducts the two-month Space Studies Program at different host institutions in locations spanning the globe; more recently the Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program; and the online Interactive Space Program. ISU programs are delivered by over 100 ISU faculty members in concert with invited industry and agency experts from institutions around the world. Since its founding, more than 5000 students from 110 countries graduated from ISU. Contact Info: 1 rue Jean-Dominique Cassini Parc d’Innovation 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden, France [email protected] Phone: +33-3-88-65-54-30 Fax: +33-3-88-65-54-47 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Page 1 1. Summary and Key Figures Page 3 2. Master of Space Studies - MSS20 Page 4 3. Interactive Space Program - ISP20 in lieu of SSP20 Page 9 4. Southern Hemisphere Space Studies Program - SHSSP20 Page 12 5. Commercial Space Course - CSP20 Page 15 6. Short Courses Page 17 7. Research and Publications Page 19 8. Space start-up Incubator Page 23 9. Alumni Affairs Page 24 10. Faculty and Executive Appointments Page 27 11.
    [Show full text]
  • Aerospace Industrial Park Planned Near Airport by Brook Stockberger
    Aerospace industrial park planned near airport By Brook Stockberger Sun-News Business Editor Las Cruces Sun-News LAS CRUCES — Business owners who want to locate near the Las Cruces International Airport in the not-too-distant future will be greeted by the site of a 170- acre industrial park — within an industrial park. That's the vision of the Rocket Racing League (RRL). The league, which has offices in Las Cruces and plans to house its facilities adjacent to the airport, hopes to buy from the city a chunk of property that sits between Interstate 10 and the airport. The land is part of a larger area known as the West Mesa Industrial Park and includes property on both sides of the highway. The company — a NASCAR-style racing league that intends to race rocket-powered aircraft — would then develop a business park for companies that work with and support the league as well as other aerospace-related firms. "Imagine every corporate executive that lands here, and they drive down this road and they see a Class A business park," said John Hummer, chief executive officer and a partner with Steinborn Inc.. Hummer heads up a limited liability company called RRL Land Development LLC, that will manage development of the proposed industrial park. "I think it'll help fill a definite need for a better-quality business park that would be appealing to high-tech companies," said Steve Vierck, president and CEO of the Mesilla Valley Economic Development Alliance. The West Mesa Strategic Committee voted recently to support the league's request and will recommend approval of the purchase to the Las Cruces City Council.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploration of the Moon
    Exploration of the Moon The physical exploration of the Moon began when Luna 2, a space probe launched by the Soviet Union, made an impact on the surface of the Moon on September 14, 1959. Prior to that the only available means of exploration had been observation from Earth. The invention of the optical telescope brought about the first leap in the quality of lunar observations. Galileo Galilei is generally credited as the first person to use a telescope for astronomical purposes; having made his own telescope in 1609, the mountains and craters on the lunar surface were among his first observations using it. NASA's Apollo program was the first, and to date only, mission to successfully land humans on the Moon, which it did six times. The first landing took place in 1969, when astronauts placed scientific instruments and returnedlunar samples to Earth. Apollo 12 Lunar Module Intrepid prepares to descend towards the surface of the Moon. NASA photo. Contents Early history Space race Recent exploration Plans Past and future lunar missions See also References External links Early history The ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras (d. 428 BC) reasoned that the Sun and Moon were both giant spherical rocks, and that the latter reflected the light of the former. His non-religious view of the heavens was one cause for his imprisonment and eventual exile.[1] In his little book On the Face in the Moon's Orb, Plutarch suggested that the Moon had deep recesses in which the light of the Sun did not reach and that the spots are nothing but the shadows of rivers or deep chasms.
    [Show full text]
  • My Comments on the BNSC Space
    J. Duncan Law-Green, PhD X-Ray & Observational Astronomy Group Department of Physics & Astronomy University of Leicester Leicester LE1 7RH Tel: 0116 252 2589 Email: [email protected] 31st January 2009 Comments on the BNSC Space Exploration Solicitation Dear Sirs, Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the BNSC solicitation on UK Space Exploration policy. Here, briefly, are my comments. Exploration AND Development Space exploration should not be separated from considerations of space development: the harnessing of the energy and material resources of space for the economic benefit of humanity, with the ultimate goal of permanent human expansion into space. In a speech given at the Goddard Memorial Symposium in March 2008, John Marburger, Director of the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy (OSTP), said the following [1]:- “The one big question any vision of space exploration must answer is "Are we going to do it at all?" As I put it in my speech two years ago, "Questions about the vision boil down to whether we want to incorporate the Solar System in our economic sphere, or not." If we are serious about this, then our objective must be more than a disconnected series of missions, each conducted at huge expense and risk, and none building a lasting infrastructure to reduce the expense and risk of future operations. If we are serious, we will build capability, not just on the ground but in space. And our objective must be to make the use of space for human purposes a routine function.” The question for any appraisal of UK space exploration priorities is therefore: Does the UK want to incorporate space into its economic sphere, and if so, what is it going to do about developing the kind of infrastructure that Marburger describes? If not, is the UK willing to pay the economic and social cost of being left behind as other nations move to develop space? Global space activities are presently in a state of flux.
    [Show full text]
  • NASA's Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus
    NASA's Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus NASAs Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus Committee on NASAs Strategic Direction Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS Washington, D.C. www.nap.edu PREPUBLICATION COPYSUBJECT TO FURTHER EDITORIAL CORRECTION Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. NASA's Strategic Direction and the Need for a National Consensus THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This study is based on work supported by Contract NNH10CC48B between the National Academy of Sciences and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the agency that provided support for the project. International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-XXXXX-X International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-XXXXX-X Copies of this report are available free of charge from: Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences National Research Council 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, NW, Keck 360, Washington, DC 20001; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; http://www.nap.edu.
    [Show full text]
  • Options and Issues for Nasa's Human Space Flight Program
    OPTIONS AND ISSUES FOR NASA’S HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT PROGRAM: REPORT OF THE ‘‘REVIEW OF U.S. HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT PLANS’’ COMMITTEE HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED ELEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION SEPTEMBER 15, 2009 Serial No. 111–51 Printed for the use of the Committee on Science and Technology ( Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.science.house.gov U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 51–928PDF WASHINGTON : 2010 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 AND TECHNOLOGY HON. BART GORDON, Tennessee, Chair JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois RALPH M. HALL, Texas EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER JR., LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California Wisconsin DAVID WU, Oregon LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas BRIAN BAIRD, Washington DANA ROHRABACHER, California BRAD MILLER, North Carolina ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois VERNON J. EHLERS, Michigan GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio W. TODD AKIN, Missouri BEN R. LUJA´ N, New Mexico RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas PAUL D. TONKO, New York BOB INGLIS, South Carolina PARKER GRIFFITH, Alabama MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas STEVEN R. ROTHMAN, New Jersey MARIO DIAZ-BALART, Florida JIM MATHESON, Utah BRIAN P. BILBRAY, California LINCOLN DAVIS, Tennessee ADRIAN SMITH, Nebraska BEN CHANDLER, Kentucky PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri PETE OLSON, Texas BARON P. HILL, Indiana HARRY E.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of Nasa's Exploration
    A REVIEW OF NASA’S EXPLORATION PROGRAM IN TRANSITION: ISSUES FOR CONGRESS AND INDUSTRY HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION MARCH 30, 2011 Serial No. 112–8 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 65–305PDF 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 DAVID WU, Oregon FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma BRAD MILLER, North Carolina JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois W. TODD AKIN, Missouri GABRIELLE GIFFORDS, Arizona RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas MARCIA L. FUDGE, Ohio PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia BEN R. LUJA´ N, New Mexico SANDY ADAMS, Florida PAUL D. TONKO, New York BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona JERRY MCNERNEY, California CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, JOHN P. SARBANES, Maryland Tennessee TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan MO BROOKS, Alabama ANDY HARRIS, Maryland RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana DAN BENISHEK, Michigan VACANCY SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE AND AERONAUTICS HON.
    [Show full text]
  • Space Resources : Social Concerns / Editors, Mary Fae Mckay, David S
    Frontispiece Advanced Lunar Base In this panorama of an advanced lunar base, the main habitation modules in the background to the right are shown being covered by lunar soil for radiation protection. The modules on the far right are reactors in which lunar soil is being processed to provide oxygen. Each reactor is heated by a solar mirror. The vehicle near them is collecting liquid oxygen from the reactor complex and will transport it to the launch pad in the background, where a tanker is just lifting off. The mining pits are shown just behind the foreground figure on the left. The geologists in the foreground are looking for richer ores to mine. Artist: Dennis Davidson NASA SP-509, vol. 4 Space Resources Social Concerns Editors Mary Fae McKay, David S. McKay, and Michael B. Duke Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 1992 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Scientific and Technical Information Program Washington, DC 1992 For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328 ISBN 0-16-038062-6 Technical papers derived from a NASA-ASEE summer study held at the California Space Institute in 1984. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Space resources : social concerns / editors, Mary Fae McKay, David S. McKay, and Michael B. Duke. xii, 302 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.—(NASA SP ; 509 : vol. 4) 1. Outer space—Exploration—United States. 2. Natural resources. 3. Space industrialization—United States. I. McKay, Mary Fae. II. McKay, David S. III. Duke, Michael B. IV. United States.
    [Show full text]
  • T-NSIAD-91-26 Questions Remain on the Costs, Uses, and Risks of The
    United States Gkneral Accounting OfRce /f,3 7 7 Testimony llllllllMlll 143776 For Release ' Questions Remain on the Costs, Uses, and Risks on Delivery of the Redesigned Space Station Expected at 9:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, May 1, 1991 Statement of Charles A. Bowsher Comptroller General of the United States Before the Subcommittee on Government Activites and Transportation House Committee on Government Operations GAO/T-NSIAD-91-26 GAO FOG 160w/87) . Madam Chair and Members of the Subcommittee: I appreciate the opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee today on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) space station program. My testimony will provide an overview of the space station --one of the most ambitious, costly, and controversial space projects the nation has ever undertaken. I will discuss the station's history, the concerns that led to the 1990 congressional directive to redesign the station, and the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on the Future of the U.S. Space Program (commonly referred to as the Augustine Committee). In addition, on the basis of preliminary data gathered to date and interviews with leading space scientists, I will address the following critical questions about NASA's redesigned station: -- Have all station-related costs been identified and fully disclosed7 -- Are station program re,serves adequate, and is the station affordable? -- Is the station justified on the basis of its tangible benefits to scientific research7 -- What technical challenges need to be considered before proceeding with the station? RESULTSIN BRIEF In response to congressional direction, NASA recently redesigned the space station.
    [Show full text]
  • Hill & Valley Parish Magazine for Hurstbourne Priors, Longparish And
    Issue No. 247 Hill & Valley THE PARISH MAGAZINE OF HURSTBOURNE PRIORS, LONGPARISH, ST MARY BOURNE & WOODCOTT 50p April 2021 Happy Easter Hill & Valley Parish Magazine for Hurstbourne Priors, Longparish and St Mary Bourne & Woodcott April 2021 Dear Friends, April is upon us, the gateway to spring can, of course, be very mixed with hail and even snow, whilst at other times we may bask in warm sunshine, and often we can experience all four seasons in one day! Day by day the polyphony of morning birdsong increases and we cannot but notice the garden waking up with fresh buds and plants, all of which I find quite exciting. The new life and new beginnings that April speaks of, is something very relevant to us all as we begin to embrace change and adapt to life after Covid in anticipation of lockdown being eased. Life, new beginnings and hope are also central themes of the Easter story. Christian hope is not rooted in a distant or romantic past, remembering a one off event two thousand years ago. Easter faith is prophetically grounded in the here and now as the death and resurrection of Jesus spans across time and space and speaks to us today. If we look about our world today, we can see the tragic consequences of the Pandemic across our planet, and indeed our own nation, we also note the human condition is very much alive as our broken humanity continues to inflict war and violence on other human beings. In all these situations, Holy week and the Passion of Christ points to the opportunity of life transformed, redeemed and transfigured; Easter life.
    [Show full text]
  • Seeking a Human Spaceflight Program Worthy of a Great Nation
    SEEKING A HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM WORTHY OF A GREAT NATION Review of U.S. HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT Plans Committee Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee 1 SEEKING A HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM WORTHY OF A GREAT NATION 2 Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee SEEKING A HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM WORTHY OF A GREAT NATION “We choose...to do [these] things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard...” John F. Kennedy September 12, 1962 Review of U.S. Human Spaceflight Plans Committee 3 SEEKING A HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT PROGRAM WORTHY OF A GREAT NATION Table of Contents Preface .......................... ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Executive Summary ..... ...................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 19 Chapter 2.0 U.S. Human Spaceflight: Historical Review ............................................................................ 27 Chapter 3.0 Goals and Future Destinations for Exploration ........................................................................ 33 3.1 Goals for Exploration ............................................................................................................... 33 3.2 Overview of Destinations and Approach .................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Augustine Report”
    Joint ESPI-DGAP-FRS-IFRI-SWP-ISPL Policy Memorandum Europe’s Reaction to the “Augustine Report” October 2009 1. Introduction The Summary Report of the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, (“Augustine Report”), released in mid-September, 1 has received considerable attention in the space policy community and in public debate. Its findings directly impact U.S. partnership with Europe. Therefore, Europe must be prepared to respond to any possible consequences. This Joint Memorandum by European think tanks aims to analyse the context and content of the Augustine Report, evaluate the echo it received and sketch a suitable way forward for Europe in reaction to any implementation of the Report’s findings. 2. The Augustine Report and its political context In May 2009, the White House had charged a committee of high ranking experts, headed by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine, to assess U.S. human spaceflight plans and to generate appropriate options. The so-called Augustine Report is a summary to be followed by the Committee’s final report, which is not yet available. The review is part of a broader political effort to evaluate the current situation of U.S. space plans, with other assessments going on in the field of security. This includes an interagency effort led by U. S. NSC to release a new Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), a new Nuclear Posture Review and a new National Space Policy in 2010. The White House is also looking at a reform of the ITAR rules. 1 Summary Report of the Review of U.S.
    [Show full text]