The Senate's Turn

The U. S. Senate subcommittee that handles NASA's budget has produced a bill that goes against the main points of President Obama's proposed space policy. The subcommittee would cut funds intended to help commercial firms develop private manned spacecraft, and increases by $3 billion the funding for continued development of the Orion capsule and a heavy lift vehicle based on work already done under the Constellation program that could launch Orion on deep space missions. The President wants to limit Orion to ISS lifeboat duties at first, and defer building a heavy lift launcher for at least five years.

As reported in this blog just yesterday, a House committee is also pushing a bill contrary in some key points to Mr. Obama's proposal. That bill, for example, also calls for the development of a heavy lift vehicle without a five year wait. The emphasis on heavy lift is partly based on jobs. Many in Congress want to retain the skilled workforce NASA currently has in that specialty rather than let those people go and start from scratch in five years. Partly, too, it's based on the $10 billion already spent on heavy lift under Constellation. Many in Congress see no point in starting over and wasting that money.

How the debate will finally end up is unclear, but President Obama may have some work to do if he intends to get his way in space.