An Update on Nasa Commercial Crew Systems Development
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AN UPDATE ON NASA COMMERCIAL CREW SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JANUARY 17, 2018 Serial No. 115–44 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 PUBLISHING OFFICE 28–414PDF WASHINGTON : 2018 COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY HON. LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas, Chair FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas DANA ROHRABACHER, California ZOE LOFGREN, California MO BROOKS, Alabama DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon BILL POSEY, Florida AMI BERA, California THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma MARC A. VEASEY, Texas RANDY K. WEBER, Texas DONALD S. BEYER, JR., Virginia STEPHEN KNIGHT, California JACKY ROSEN, Nevada BRIAN BABIN, Texas JERRY MCNERNEY, California BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado BARRY LOUDERMILK, Georgia PAUL TONKO, New York RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana BILL FOSTER, Illinois DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida MARK TAKANO, California JIM BANKS, Indiana COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii ANDY BIGGS, Arizona CHARLIE CRIST, Florida ROGER W. MARSHALL, Kansas NEAL P. DUNN, Florida CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana RALPH NORMAN, South Carolina SUBCOMMITTEE ON SPACE HON. BRIAN BABIN, Texas, Chair DANA ROHRABACHER, California AMI BERA, California, Ranking Member FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma ZOE LOFGREN, California MO BROOKS, Alabama DONALD S. BEYER, JR., Virginia BILL POSEY, Florida MARC A. VEASEY, Texas JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois STEPHEN KNIGHT, California ED PERLMUTTER, Colorado BARBARA COMSTOCK, Virginia CHARLIE CRIST, Florida RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana BILL FOSTER, Illinois DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas JIM BANKS, Indiana ANDY BIGGS, Arizona NEAL P. DUNN, Florida CLAY HIGGINS, Louisiana LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas (II) C O N T E N T S January 17, 2018 Page Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 Opening Statements Statement by Representative Brian Babin, Chairman, Subcommittee on Space, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Rep- resentatives ........................................................................................................... 4 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 6 Statement by Representative Ami Bera, Minority Ranking Member, Sub- committee on Space, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .................................................................................... 8 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 10 Statement by Representative Lamar S. Smith, Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ..................... 12 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 14 Statement by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ranking Member, Com- mittee on Science, Space, and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives .... 16 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 17 Witnesses: Mr. William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, NASA Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 18 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 21 Mr. John Mulholland, Vice President and Program Manager for Commercial Programs, Boeing Space Exploration Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 31 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 33 Dr. Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 40 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 42 Ms. Cristina Chaplain, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, U.S. Government Accountability Office Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 53 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 55 Dr. Patricia Sanders, Chair, NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 78 Written Statement ............................................................................................ 80 Discussion ................................................................................................................. 86 Appendix I: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions Mr. William Gerstenmaier, Associate Administrator, Human Exploration and Operations Directorate, NASA ............................................................................ 112 Mr. John Mulholland, Vice President and Program Manager for Commercial Programs, Boeing Space Exploration ................................................................. 116 (III) IV Page Dr. Hans Koenigsmann, Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX ................................................................................................................... 120 Dr. Patricia Sanders, Chair, NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel ............... 126 Appendix II: Additional Material for the Record Report submitted by Dr. Patricia Sanders, Chair, NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel ..................................................................................................... 138 AN UPDATE ON NASA COMMERCIAL CREW SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, D.C. The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:08 a.m., in Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Brian Babin [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. (1) 2 3 4 Chairman BABIN. Good morning. The Subcommittee on Space will come to order. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to de- clare recesses of the Subcommittee at any time. Welcome to today’s hearing titled, ‘‘An Update on NASA Commercial Crew Systems Development. I would like to recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement.’’ The next few years will be busy for space exploration. NASA will be busy not only launching new systems, but they will be devel- oping new business models, new contracting mechanisms and new ways of approaching every facet of the challenge of expanding human presence beyond low-Earth orbit. Engaging with commercial partners to meet exploration needs is part of that broader effort. I’m very eager to see how we can part- ner with the private sector to advance NASA’s goals. NASA’s Com- mercial Crew Program is part of that effort. And as we assess the merits of this new approach, we must also recognize the hazards of such partnerships. Without diligent oversight by NASA and Con- gress, these programs could simply end up being corporate welfare and bad deals for the taxpayer. This Commercial Crew Program builds on the commercial cargo program and offers new insights about how government and indus- try can work together on key tasks. Perhaps even more impor- tantly, this program is a key part of the bigger, broader effort to industrialize low-Earth orbit and transition the International Space Station to a new operating model in the next decade. But instead of looking forward and tackling the economic self- sufficiency and operation of the ISS, we are here today looking at not one but two companies that are behind schedule, may not meet safety and reliability requirements, and could even slip into cost overruns. Rather than being able to praise the success of a new ap- proach to business, we are now confronted with the news that the certification won’t happen until at least 2019. This situation gets even worse when we look at the safety and reliability concerns surrounding these two new systems. Both pro- grams suffer from shared and individual issues concerning reli- ability and safety. The risk that these companies cannot meet their deadlines or safety requirements increases the risk that the ISS cannot be successfully or gracefully transitioned in the middle of next decade. Increasing risks to ISS transition in turn, increase risk to human exploration programs in general. Further, they de- crease the collective appetite for the kind of innovative partner- ships that will be vital to a host of future NASA exploration and science missions. Both this hearing and last November’s hearing on SLS and Orion get to matters of risk. What is the risk that NASA will be unable to meet its long-term goals of expanding permanent human pres- ence beyond low-Earth orbit? Each program features cost, schedule, and performance risks. Those programmatic risks translate into risks to the overall exploration