Witness 

General Charles Bolden

Administrator, NASA

Members in attendance 

Steven Palazzo (R-MS), Space Subcommittee Chair

Donna Edwards (D-MD), Space Subcommittee Ranking Member

Lamar Smith (R-TX), Committee Chair

Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Committee Ranking Member

Brian Babin (R-TX)

Don Beyer (D-VA)

Mo Brooks (R-AL)

Bill Johnson (R-OH)

Frank Lucas (R-OK)

Steve Knight (R-CA)

Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)

Bill Posey (R-FL)

Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)

Marc Veasey (D-TX)

On April 16, the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Space held a hearing on the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget for NASA. Witness Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator, testified about NASA’s current missions, such as the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (Orion), the Commercial Crew Program, and NASA’s satellites.

Full Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Ranking Member Donna Edwards (D-MD) questioned Administrator Bolden about ARM, which aims to move an asteroid to trans-lunar orbit where scientists will then sample and study the asteroid.  Chairman Smith suggested that ARM has an unclear purpose and duplicates the OSIRIS-REx mission.  Administrator Bolden testified that ARM supports the Mars mission by testing a solar electric propulsion system necessary for long-distance human space travel and by providing a testing ground for low gravity operations through placement of an asteroid around the moon. Rep. Edwards expressed her desire for greater coordination between NASA and Congress so that Congress could enter these hearings with a better understanding of why particular choices for the Mars mission were made.

Subcommittee Chairman Steven Palazzo (R-MS) questioned the delay in Orion’s launch from 2017 to 2018. Administrator Bolden explained the change was due to a 30 percent Joint Confidence Level, or an integrated uncertainty analysis of cost and schedule, for 2017; he would rather launch at 70 percent confidence in 2018. Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) encouraged Bolden to shorten the timeline of the Mars mission as possible so as not to lose national interest. Bolden reiterated that at the current budget funding level, he believes NASA is on schedule for both Orion and the Commercial Crew Program. Bolden admitted the often-slow pace of human space exploration, but cautioned Congress not to discount the work NASA has done putting robotic precursors to human travels across the solar system in the last 40 years.

Representative Bill Johnson (R-OH) expressed concern over tensions with Russia and continued reliance on the Russian Federal Space Agency for astronaut transport to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Bolden testified that while there is no alternate plan until the Commercial Crew Program is fully viable, NASA maintains a good relationship with partners in Russia and that while the ISS is reliant on ground control provided by the U.S. through Johnson and Marshall Space Centers, Russia has an incentive to continue good relations.

Rep. Palazzo expressed his displeasure with budget increases for Earth sciences while the President’s budget cuts planetary science, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), Orion, heliophysics, and education.  NASA Earth sciences works to understand Earth’s system through research and observation of the Earth’s global atmosphere, oceans and sea ice, land surfaces, ecosystems, and the interactions between these areas. Rep. Edwards urged Congress to support NASA’s Mars mission, but not to divert funds from other important areas to accomplish that. NASA currently operates 30 Earth-focused satellites including Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP), Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP), and Landsat 8.  Rep. Palazzo argued that the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) should take care of their own satellites and operate on a system like the one use to create the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) with reimbursable coordination funded outside of NASA.  Rep. Smith shared his frustration with what he called a “disproportionate increase for Earth sciences” and his perception that NASA’s proposed budget funds the Administration’s environmental agenda. Bolden responded that NASA is not diverting money away from other programs, but is instead covering an important, diverse portfolio. He argued that NASA is the only agency able to build satellites and send humans to space.