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National Public Radio ran a story this morning about NASA's need for plutonium-238 for its robotic deep space and some lunar surface missions. As reported earlier on SpacePolicyOnline.com, the Obama Administration requested $30 million in the Department of Energy's (DOE's) FY2010 budget to restart production of this fuel.

The Senate zeroed the request and the House cut it by $20 million. House and Senate negotiators are scheduled to meet tomorrow (September 29) at 6:15 pm to negotiate a conference agreement on the legislation (H.R. 3183). The National Research Council issued a report on the plutonium-238 situation earlier this year calling for "immediate action" to restart plutonium production.

Leonard David reports in Space News that cubesats are adding to the problem of space debris. He quotes John Lyver of NASA's Office of Safety and Mission Assurance as saying that cubesats are neat, cheap and do great stuff, but "they are increasing orbital debris...and it's uncontrolled orbital debris." Meanwhile, through a request for information (RFI), the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking innovative ideas for how to remove debris from orbit. Responses are due October 30, 2009.

The presentations that were made to the first meetings of each of the five panels of the National Research Council's (NRC's) Planetary Science Decadal Survey are now available on SpacePolicyOnline.com. Visit our NRC page on the left menu to find those presentations and other links to NRC studies.

Three of the five panels met in August: Giant Planets, Satellites, and Inner Planets. The other two met in early September: Primitive Bodies and Mars. The presentations provide an overview of ongoing planetary science missions and briefings on the missions that scientists are proposing to begin in the next decade. The task of the Decadal Survey is to recommend to NASA which missions have the highest priority.

Each of the panels is scheduled to hold three meetings during the course of the study. The Satellites panel already held its second meeting and the presentations from that meeting will be posted soon. Check our calendar on the right for when other panels, and the Survey Committee itself, plan to meet, or visit the Decadal Survey's website.

The following presentations were made to the first meeting of the Satellites panel of the National Research Council's Planetary Science Decadal Survey. The meeting was held on August 24-26, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Titles of the presentations are from the agenda for the meeting. Some of these were joint sessions with other Decadal Survey panels. Adobe 8.0 or higher is needed to open most of these files. Some are quite large and may take a few moments to load; please be patient.

• Lessons Learned from the 2003 Decadal Survey, Alfred McEwen, University of Arizona
• Decadal Survey Overview, Steve Squyres, Cornell
• Charge to the Decadal Survey, James Green et al, NASA
• NSF's Support for the Planetary Sciences, Nigel Sharp, NSF
• OPAG's Goals and Priorities, William McKinnon, Washington University
• How the Jupiter-Europa Orbiter Addresses Satellite Science, Robert Pappalardo, JPL
• Io Volcanic Observer Mission, Alfred McEwen, University of Arizona
• How a Uranus Mission Concept Addresses Satellite Science, Mark Hofstadter, JPL
• Cassini Equinox/Solstice Missions and Satellite Science, Linda Spilker, JPL
• Titan-Saturn System Mission, Jonathan Lunine, University of Arizona
• Titan Mare Explorer Mission, Ellen Stofan, Proxemy Research
• TMC Review of Outer Planet Flagship Missions, Curt Niebur and Brad Perry, JPL and NASA/Langley
• How a Neptune Mission Concept Addresses Satellite Science, Candice Hansen, JPL

The following presentations were made to the first meeting of the Mars panelof the National Research Council's Planetary Science Decadal Survey. The meeting was held on September 9-11, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Titles of the presentations are from the agenda for the meeting. Adobe 8.0 or higher is needed to open most of these files. Some are quite large and may take a few moments to load; please be patient.

• Charge to the Decadal Survey, Doug McCuistion, et al, NASA
• Decadal Survey Overview, Larry Soderblom, USGS
• Mars Science Laboratory Status Report, Fuk K. Li, JPL
• Mars Science Goals, Jeffrey R. Johnson, USGS
• Lessons Learned from the 2003 Decadal Survey, Jack Mustard, Brown University
• Overview of Mars Science Status, Jack Mustard, Brown University
• MEPAG's Trace Gas Orbiter SAG, Michael D. Smith, NASA Goddard
• MEPAG's Mid-Range Rover SAG Scott, Scott McLennan, SUNY Stony Brook
• Past Accomplishments/Future Architecture Studies, Richard Zurek, JPL
• The Importance of Samples, Meenakshi Wadhwa, Arizona State University
• ExoMars Status Report, Jorge Vago, European Space Agency

The following presentations were made to the first meeting of the Giant Planets panel of the National Research Council's Planetary Science Decadal Survey. The meeting was held on August 24-26, 2009 in Washington, D.C. Titles of the presentations are from the agenda for the meeting. Some of these were joint sessions with another Decadal Survey panel. Adobe 8.0 or higher is needed to open most of these files. Some are quite large and may take a few moments to load; please be patient.

• Lessons Learned from the 2003 Decadal Survey, Andrew Ingersoll, CalTech
• Decadal Survey Overview, Steve Squyres, Cornell
• Charge to the Decadal Survey, James Green et al, NASA
• NSF's Support for the Planetary Sciences, Nigel Sharp, NSF
• OPAG's Goals and Priorities, William McKinnon, Washington University
• Uranus Mission Concept, Mark Hofstadter, JPL
• Cassini Equinox/Solstice Missions and Saturn Science, Linda Spilker, JPL
• How the TSSM Mission Addresses Saturn Science Goals, Jonathan Lunine, University of Arizona
• Science Goals Addressed Via Entry Probes, Thomas Spilker, JPL
• Neptune Mission Concept, Candice Hansen, JPL
• Jupiter-Europa Orbiter and Jupiter Science, Robert Pappalardo, JPL

The following events may of interest in the coming week. See our calendar for more information. Note: Dates, times and witnesses for congressional hearings are subject to change, as are congressional floor schedules. Check the committee's website, or the main sites for the House and Senate, for up to date information.

Monday, September 28

• 8:15-12:30, George Washington University's Space Policy Institute will hold a seminar on Assessing the Options of the Augustine Committee for Human Spaceflight. 7^th Floor Conference Room, 1957 E Street, N.W., Washington D.C. RSVP required to spi@gwu.edu.

Tuesday, September 29

• DOD appropriations (H.R. 3326) floor debate in the Senate should resume
• Continuing Resolution (CR) for the first month of FY2010. The Senate is expected to pass it on Tuesday. Conference action and signature by the President must be completed by midnight Wednesday to avoid a government shutdown. FY2010 begins on Thursday, Oct. 1. The CR is attached to the FY2010 Legislative Branch appropriations bill (H.R. 2918), which passed the House on Friday.
• Conferees on Energy-Water Appropriations (H.R. 3183) to meet at 6:15 pm in HC-5 U.S. Capitol

Wednesday, September 30

• NRC Committee on Impediments to Interagency Cooperation in Space and Earth Science Missions. Meeting continues through Friday. Some sessions are closed to the public. Keck Center, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.

Thursday, October 1

• A Day Without Space, Part 4. Sponsored by the Marshall Institute and the Space Enterprise Council of TechAmerica. 8:30-10:00 am. B-338 Rayburn House Office Building.
• House Science and Technology Committee, Energy and Environment Subcommittee. Hearing on "Investigating the Nature of Energy, Matter, Space and Time." 11:00 am, 2318 Rayburn House Office Building

Women in Aerospace (WIA) will honor its 2009 award winners at a banquet at the National Press Club on October 27, 2009. Details are on WIA's website. The seven outstanding women who are being recognized for their contributions to the aerospace profession are listed below. Congratulations to all!

• Linda Billings (George Washington University), Lifetime Achievement Award
• Eleanor Aldrich (AIAA), Aerospace Awareness Award
• Lynn Cline (NASA), Outstanding Member Award
• Valerie Neal (National Air and Space Museum), Aerospace Educator Award
• Rebecca Emerle (Ball Aerospace), Achievement Award
• Melinda Ann Burkhart Tate (Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs), International Achievement Award
• Beverly Seay (SAIC), Leadership Award

A meeting last week between U.S. former astronauts, Chinese astronauts, and others, sponsored by the Space Foundation, opened a new channel of communications according to Aviation Week and Space Technology.

The U.S. visitors were shown the Shenzhou 8 orbital module and reentry capsule and a Tiangong 1 orbital target with which the Shenzhou 8 crew will practice orbital operations, according to the magazine. They also reportedly were shown the Change-2 robotic lunar orbiter scheduled for launch in 2010.

The group included former U.S. astronauts Tom Henricks, now president of Aviation Week, and Fred Gregory, former Deputy Administrator of NASA, as well as five of the six Chinese astronauts who have flown in space, according to the magazine. It also reported that NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden, a former astronaut himself, plans to visit China "before the end of the year."

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced the names of its195 new Associate Fellows in the United States and abroad. Washington, D.C. is part of AIAA's National Capital Section, which welcomes 18 individuals to the prestigious rank of Associate Fellow. Among them are three who are particularly well known in space policy circles: Clay Mowry of Arianespace, Vincent Sabathier of CSIS, and Merrie Scott of AIAA (and President of Women in Aerospace). Congratulations to all!