A week after he criticized NASA administrator Charles Bolden over details of NASA plans to eliminate the Constellation program, Rep. Rob Bishop says a memo by NASA shows the agency is apparently looking for ways to save the program.
Bishop, R-Utah, cited a news story in the Wall Street Journal that says a memo by a member of Bolden's staff is telling NASA officials to plan out "what a potential compromise might look like" to satisfy Obama administration critics of the Constellation program.
Bishop said Thursday that congressional delegations from Utah, Alabama, Florida and Texas are joining forces to work with NASA to keep Constellation alive.
He said the memo is a hint that NASA is starting to listen.
"We're excited. This is opening an opportunity, but I don't want people in Utah to get too excited, because this is not a done deal."
George Torres, spokesman for ATK Space Systems, which makes the Ares rocket motor, was equally careful.
"Clearly folks are encouraged that Congress is following up on what they said, and now NASA seems to be responding to that," he said Thursday.
The space shuttle program is winding down after four more flights this year. Constellation, the program to replace the shuttle, was launched by President George W. Bush to eventually take people to the moon and Mars.
Constellation is powered by the Ares solid-fuel rocket motor built at the ATK Space Systems facility in Box Elder County. A NASA committee studying Ares last year recommended that Constellation be abandoned because it did not meet the time lines for replacing the space shuttle to put people back into space.
The commission recommended NASA use commercial space-vehicle builders, and President Obama's suggested 2011 budget did not include Constellation.
"I guess Obama should be congratulated for having brought bipartisanship back to Congress," he said. "This decision is being opposed by Republicans and Democrats alike in a very real sense."
Bishop questioned Bolden last week at a meeting of the House Science and Technology Committee, grilling him about the costs of winding down the Constellation program.
Bishop was particularly unhappy when Bolden told him there had not been any formal discussions with the military over the impact on its programs of shutting down Constellation, as the same industries that build Ares motors also build motors for defense missiles.
At last week's test of a final space shuttle motor, numerous ATK officials said it would be a shame to lose the industrial infrastructure ATK has spent 30 years building up because, once gone, it could not be put back again.
Bishop said the whole decision to stop Constellation surprised him in how little supporting work was done.
"They don't have the cost factor, they don't know where they're going. This entire decision is just naive," he said.
The Wall Street Journal says the memo, "viewed by the Wall Street Journal," was written by Michael Coats, director of the Johnson Space Center.
The Journal says the memo "suggests the NASA chief and his team were more inclined to try to pacify lawmakers than wage a tough battle to end multibillion-dollar contracts signed under the previous administration."
The Journal also says that, "in an e-mail, Mr. Coats told senior managers at other centers and program offices that Mr. Bolden 'agreed to let us set up a Plan B team to come up with alternate budget and program priorities.' "
Bishop said he wants more information on the alternate plan, "but I appreciate that the administrator (Bolden) is at least reconsidering the president's current proposal, which would have an impact on our industrial base of historic proportions and put us light years behind other countries in space and national defense technologies."
Bishop and other congressional representatives say killing Constellation could cost 30,000 jobs in the country.
Bishop said Congress has the power to write the national budget any way it wants, but said it is very hard to overturn a program recommendation by the president.
"You have a lot of people who instinctively support the president," he said. "You have to convince them that this is wrong. That's not that easy."
He said Utah's congressional delegation will continue to coordinate work on saving Constellation with the delegations from other affected states.
"We're going to make sure we keep this issue forward, coordinating and working and spreading out to make sure we realize this is not cost-saving, this is not privatizing and this is not good for the military," Bishop said.
"Common sense should tell us that turning space over to the Chinese and the Russians is not good sense at all."
Updated 11:34 p.m.
Memo says NASA looking for ways to save Constellation program
A week after he grilled NASA administrator Charles Bolden over details of Plans to eliminate the Constellation rocket program, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop had high praise for a memo that indicates NASA is apparently looking for ways to save the program.
In a press release Thursday, Bishop cited a news story in the Wall Street Journal that is based on a memo by a member of Bolden's staff telling NASA officials to plan out "what a potential compromise might look like" to satisfy administration critics of the Constellation program.
Constellation is the program to replace the space shuttle, which is being retired this year. It is powered by the Ares solid fuel rocket motor built at the ATK Space Systems facility in Box Elder County, which is part of Bishop's district.
A NASA committee studying Ares last year recommended that it be abandoned because it did not meet the timelines for replacing the space shuttle to put men back into space.
The commission recommended NASA use commercial space vehicle builders, and President Barack Obama's suggested 2011 budget did not include the Constellation.
ATK is already laying off nearly 800 people this year because of the demise of the space shuttle. It is still working on Ares motor segments, however, and will test an Ares motor later this year.
Obama's proposal to eliminate Constellation has been roundly condemned by the entire Utah congressional delegation as well as congressional representatives in other states where NASA work is done.
The Wall Street Journal says the memo, "viewed by the Wall Street Journal" contains an order by Bolden to look for alternatives that will satisfy the administration concerns.
The Journal says the memo, written by Michael Coats, director of the Johnson Space Center, "suggests the NASA chief and his team were more inclined to try to pacify lawmakers than wage a tough battle to end multi-billion dollar contracts signed under the previous administration."
The Journal also says that "in an e-mail, Mr. Coats told senior managers at other centers and program offices that Mr. Bolden 'agreed to let us set up a Plan B team to come up with alternate budget and program priorities.' "
The Journal reports that "in the memo, which went to NASA offices that have major roles in supervising parts of Constellation, Mr. Coats suggests any alternate plan to please Congress most likely will entail keeping large chunks of Constellation and its planned Orion capsule, designed to transport astronauts to the International Space Station and beyond."
Bishop, in a press release, said he wants more information on the alternate plan, "but I appreciate that the Administrator (Bolden) is at least reconsidering the President's current proposal, which would have an impact on our industrial base of historic proportions and put us light years behind outer countries in space and national defense technologies."
Bishop, and other congressional representatives, say killing Constellation could cost 30,000 jobs and destroy an industrial infrastructure that produces highly dependable solid rocket motors.
The final shuttle motor was tested last week at the ATK facility in Box Elder County. That test motor included some that will also be used in Ares.
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