Apr 25 2006
From The Space Library
NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin testified before the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space. Griffin outlined highlights of NASA’s FY 2007 budget request and discussed “the strategic direction for NASA in implementing the priorities of the President and Congress within the resources provided.” Griffin stated that NASA’s first priority must be to honor its March 2006 commitment to its international partners on the ISS. NASA had pledged to conduct an adequate number of Space Shuttle flights to complete the assembly of ISS by the end of the decade. Toward this end, NASA had reallocated funds budgeted for its scientific and exploration missions for fiscal years 2007-2011, transferring the projected funds to the budget for the Space Shuttle and the ISS. Griffin urged that NASA’s second priority should be constructing the new CEV, which would transport humans to the ISS after NASA retired the Space Shuttles in 2010. Griffin said that the CEV must be operational “not later than 2014 and possibly much sooner.” According to Griffin, NASA would have to delay several new scientific missions because fulfilling NASA’s commitment to the ISS and the CEV was a higher priority. Redirecting funds budgeted for Exploration Systems, in order to provide additional funds for aeronautics research or science missions, would directly affect “NASA’s ability to effectively and efficiently transition the workforce and capabilities from the Space Shuttle to the new CEV system.”
U.S. Congress, Senate, Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Subcommittee on Science and Space, NASA Issues and Challenges, 109th Cong., 2nd sess., 25 April 2006, 2-4 (statement of NASA Administrator Michael D. Griffin), http://commerce.senate.gov/pdf/griffin-042506.pdf (accessed 21 January 2010).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
