Our Hearing Summaries

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing on December 12, 2012 on NASA's future.  SpacePolicyOnline.com published a summary of the hearing on December 14, 2012.  The hearing included testimony by Ron Sega, who was vice-chair of a National Research Council (NRC) report on NASA's Strategic Direction that was released the week prior to the hearing.   The full list of witnesses include the following:

• Honorable Robert Walker, Wexler and Walker (former chairman of the House Science Committee)
• Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Ron Sega, former astronaut, currently University of Colorado and vice-chair of the National Research Council (NRC) Committee on NASA's Strategic Direction
• Marion Blakey, President, Aerospace Industries Association
• Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen, University of Michigan Space Physics Laboratory
• Dr. Scott Pace, George Washington University

The House Approrpriations Committee's Subcommittee on Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) held a hearing on June 21, 2012 on financial misconduct at the National Weather Service, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that uses data from the nation's weather satellites.  SpacePolicyOnline.com published an article summarizing the hearing on June 25, 2012, with an update on June 28 adding information on subsequent action by the CJS subcommittee.   The witnesses were:

• NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco
• NOAA Deputy Administrator Kathryn Sullivan

The Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing on The Emerging Commercial Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle market on August 1, 2012.  SpacePolicyOnline.com published an article summarizing the hearing, including the release of a report by the Tauri Group that forecasts a robust market for suborbital reusable launch vehicles (SRVs), that day.  Witnesses were:

• Carissa Christensen, Managing Partner, The Tauri Group
• Alan Stern, Chairman, Suborbital Applications Researchers Group
• George Whitesides, CEO and President, Virgin Galactic
• Bretton Alexander, Director, Business Development and Strategy, Blue Origin
• Andrew Nelson, Chief Operating Officer, XCOR Aerospace
• Stephan McCandliess, Research Professor, Johns Hopkins University

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a congressional hearing on the economic benefits of NASA-derived technologies on July 12, 2012.   SpacePolicyOnline.com published an article summarziing the hearing that day.  Witnesses were:

• Mason Peck, NASA Chief Technologist
• George Beck, Chief Clinical and Technology Officer, Impact Instrumentation, Inc.
• Brian Russell, Chief Executive Officer, Zephyr Technology
• John Vilja, Vice President for Strategy, Innovation and Growth, Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne
• Richard Aubrecht, Vice President, Moog, Inc.

A SpacePolicyOnline.com summary of a June 20, 2012 hearing before the House Science, Space and Technology Committee on President Obama's science policies and priorities, including those for NASA's space program, was published on June 21, 2012.  Dr. Holdren was the only witness.   The space program was only one of many topics debated at the hearing.  The committee members who asked questions about NASA included:

• Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee
• Rep. Steve Palazzo (R-MS), chairman of the Space and Aeronautics subcommittee
• Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)]
• Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD)
• Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL)

A SpacePolicyOnline.com summary of the June 20, 2012 Senate Commerce, Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Science and Space hearing on commercial space was published on June 20.   Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), chairman of the subcommittee, John Boozman (R-AR), ranking member of the subcommittee, and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), ranking member of the full committee were present.  Witnesses were:

• Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations
• Pamela Melroy, FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (and a former NASA astronaut)
• Gerald Dillingham, Government Accountability Office
• Michael Gold, Bigelow Aerospace
• Michael Lopez-Alegria, Commercial Spaceflight Federation (and a former NASA astronaut)

On March 21, 2012, the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on NASA’s FY2013 budget request.  These SpacePolicyOnline.com hearing notes were originally published on March 21, 2012 on SpacePolicyOnline.com under the title “House Appropriators Fight for Planetary Science.”

On March 20, 2012, the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing on the FY2013 budget request for the Office of Commercial Space Transportation in the Federal Aviation Administration, which regulates and facilitates commercial launch services.  These SpacePolicyOnline.com hearing notes were originally published on March 23, 2012 under the title “Safety First House Authorizers Tell FAA Space Office."

The Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing on March 6, 2012 on the FY2013 budget requests for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Environmental Protection Agency.   These SpacePolicyOnline.com hearing notes about the NOAA portion of the hearing were originally published on SpacePolicyOnline.com on March 8, 2012 under the title “Rep. Harris Disappointed in NOAA Budget Priorities, Irritated at Lack of Documentation.”

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and the Coast Guard held a hearing on the FY2013 budget requests for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Coast Guard on March 7, 2012.   These SpacePolicyOnline.com hearing notes cover the portion of the hearing that dealt with NOAA, which is part of the Department of Commerce and were published on SpacePolicyOnline.com on March 9, 2012 under the title “Sen. Rockefeller “Appalled” at Obama Proposal to Move NOAA to Interior.”