14 DAY TRIAL // According to US congressmen, the American space agency would do good to follow the directions set forth in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, as passed by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama.
At the same time, the lawmakers said that the President is making attempts to see the agency waver from the path it was set on, and urged officials at NASA not to stray in any direction.
Lacking a 2011 appropriations bill, the faith of the space agency's budget is somewhat uncertain, in the sense that the exact level of funding it will receive next fiscal year is unclear.
However, until this is resolved, NASA will continue to operate at 2010 funding levels, which means that it will receive about $18.74 billion in appropriations. This is very close to the $19 billion Congress proposed to allot to NASA for next year.
One of the main propositions in the Authorization Bill is for the agency to start work on a heavy-lift delivery system that can go to low-Earth orbit (LEO) and beyond.
Under Project Constellation, now-canceled by the American administration, the ARES V was to fulfill that role, but huge delays and cost overruns made the endeavor unfeasible in the eyes of many.
At the same time, Congress instructed NASA to continue working on a deep-space-capable, manned space capsule, that could be based on Constellation's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. The Bill allots $3 billion for this task.
On these points, lawmakers insisted NASA follows the new piece of legislation to the letter. A series of hearings took place yesterday, December 1, at the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) and other members sought to obtain assurances from NASA that the bill will be followed regardless of the lack of a well-defined 2011 budget.
“We passed it, the president signed it into law, and now we want that law implemented,” the lawmakers told agency representatives.
“We want to see this law implemented without a lot of griping and moaning and groaning if we're able to get that kind of appropriation,” added Nelson, who is the chairman of the science and space subcommittee.
“I want to make sure that those elements in the administration who were trying to have their way, instead of the way that is the law, that they're not going to undermine this law,” the senator said, quoted by Space.