Gordon Backs House Vision For NASA

President Barack Obama’s long-term goals for the U.S.’s space program are impossible to execute at current funding levels, according to a letter from the chairman of the House Committee on Science & Technology. Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) penned the letter in response to one signed by 14 Nobel Laureates in support of Obama’s proposal for NASA, which includes using federal money for commercial companies to develop new spacecraft to ferry crews to the International Space Station. NASA should focus on more realistic goals and immediate objectives, Gordon wrote. Congress has been hesitant to support Obama’s plan, maintaining that it relies too heavily on an underdeveloped commercial spaceflight industry. In July, the House science committee granted only $64 million in fiscal 2011 for development of commercial crew vehicle and cargo programs and another $100 million for a loan program for commercial rocket developers. In August, the Senate approved a bill more in line with Obama’s goals, giving $612 million for cargo and crew vehicle development.P