Hutchison Calls for Re-Boot of U.S. Human Space Exploration

Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON D.C. I am committed in my last year to assure that we go in the right direction utilizing our resources wisely. I so believe in NASA and its potential for our country I want to make sure we dont fudge on human space exploration and dont cut NASA to the quick because thats where our corporate knowledge is said U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison earlier this month at the Senate Commerce Science & Transportation Committees hearing on Priorities Plans & Progress of the Nations Space Program.  Watch video excerpts or read the transcript of the hearing here.  

Video of Sen. Hutchisons Opening Remarks

Video of Sen. Hutchisons Q & A session with NASA Administrator Bolden  I was out at Johnson Space Center recently and it has a wonderful program for Cub Scouts. I was with a group of those Cub Scouts recently and the question they asked me was why has America given up on space flight? And of course I said were not giving up on space flight. Its very important to move forward but our shuttles were wearing out so we are now rebuilding to go beyond where we have been before.

But thats not out there in the public and we need to do the things that assure our young people who are the ones we want to entice into science and loving the exploration and knowing what it has done for our country to stay with us and to understand its importance. So that brings me to the agreement that we finally got last year with this Administration. And I want to say what weve agreed upon we agreed to develop the heavy launch vehicle to carry the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle to destinations beyond lower Earth orbit. We have agreed to bring to fruition the beginning of operational commercial cargo delivery flights to the International Space Station. Weve agreed to support the development of commercial capabilities to launch crew to and from lower Earth orbit focusing initially on transporting crews for the International Space Station and weve agreed to support the ongoing development of the James Webb Space Telescope to replace the amazing Hubble Space Telescope but also to see even more detail further into the universe. So weve agreed to all those things. But Mr. Administrator the actions dont seem to be following the words of the agreements and thats why I am glad were having this hearing and hoping we all can have not only the words but the actions that will take us in the direction that we agreed we should go. The Fiscal Year 2013 budget request was our opportunity to review the actions of the Administration toward providing the funding needed to meet our agreed upon activities. But reviewing that budget and the call you made to me gives me great concern and I have to question the degree of the commitment that we made all of us together to go forward for all of the things that we said were our priorities. So we now all understand that we have fiscal challenges but I believe within the budget that we have which the Chairman has said is basically pretty flat considering the rest of our budgets knowing that exploration is not something that can be totally prescribed and adhered to because things happen when youre breaking barriers and youre doing new things that you have to address. But I think we have the available funds. Its a matter of how we put those funds into the actual implementation and I have questions about the amount requested and the procurement approach that is taking place for the commercial crew development. I remain concerned about the loss of critical workforce and skills that we must have to continue NASAs advance forward into the future.

  Dr. Sam Ting who really started the whole focus on the spectrometer and for a Nobel Laureate is a fighter at heart I have to say because he was told by a previous Administrator that there wouldnt be the ability to take the spectrometer up and the payload would not be able to be done. But he fought we fought with him we supported Dr. Tings request because we knew that was a future that was vital for the Space Station.

Dr. Ting made a speech to a scientific group in Texas in January and the most graphic thing that he showed through a chart was some of the most visionary research that we have embarked on in America in the physics field.  He showed the things we thought would come the goals we had for these visionary research projects; I mean he put down about six or seven and then he put the results we got which were totally different from the goal and more important and better. And thats what he foresees for the cosmic rays that we are now getting hits on in the spectrometer. Because weve already had more hits of cosmic rays on that spectrometer than ever in the history of space exploration and he believes that the goal is to find out what the dark matter is and how can we harness it for energy that may be used for a Mars settlement or maybe something we can use on Earth but you can only do it in space. So he said heres our goal but who knows what it will give us? Who knew when we went into space in the first place we would capture the satellites and use it for national security purposes? Who knew we would get Velcro? Who knew we would get MRIs and the huge medical breakthroughs weve had? And I say corporate in the government sector but thats where our expertise and our past experiences are that will take us to the future in the most efficient way. So I hope that we can work together to address the concerns that I have and get us on track. I am committed to commercial being a part of our future but not at the expense of our vital NASA employee sector and the building of the next vehicle thats going to take us beyond where we are. We cant fudge on the future in that way. So I think you know how I feel and I hope that we will be able to work together. I dont doubt your sincerity in shared goals but what Im very concerned about is the implementation that is reflected in the numbers of the budget that the President and the Administration released just a couple of weeks ago and its relationship to our shared goals."