Shelby calls Augustine panel 'worthless'

Robert Block
The Write Stuff
Orlando Sentinel

Senator Richard Shelby launched a preemptive strike on President Barack Obama's blue ribbon space panel the day before it was due to release its final report, calling the committee’s findings “worthless.”

Shelby, a staunch defender of NASA’s Marshal Space Flight Center In Huntsville, Ala., said in a Senate floor speech that the committee failed to consider safety when it ranked various rocket options for the White House to consider.

“Without an honest and thorough examination of the safety and reliability aspects of the various designs and options for manned space flight, the findings of this report are worthless,” said Shelby.

The speech sets the stage of what is expected to be a fierce fight between some members of Congress and the White House over the future of human space exploration.

Read the Post, HERE.

Senator Shelby 'slams' Augustine panel

Mark Matthews
The Write Stuff
Orlando Sentinel

In a forceful floor speech, Alabama’s senior senator defended NASA’s current plan to return astronauts to the moon and jabbed the recent findings of a presidential space panel tasked with evaluating the agency’s troubled Constellation program.

“While I commend the Augustine Commission for their hard work, I find many of the aspects proposed in their summary report to be unsatisfactory and disappointing,” said U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby on Monday, referring to a 10-member space panel led by retired Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine.

Read the Post, HERE.

History lesson for Richard Shelby

Jeff Krukin - Commercial Space Gateway - Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) is unhappy because NASA Administrator Christopher Scolese intends to use $150 million of the $400 million NASA received as part of the stimulus package to support the development of commercial space transportation for delivering cargo and personnel to the space station.

His rationale reveals an astounding lack of historical perspective.

During a May 21st hearing of the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee hearing, the Senator stated, "I believe that manned spaceflight is something that is still in the realm of government, because despite their best efforts, some truly private enterprises have not been able to deliver on plans of launching vehicles."

I guess he missed the successful launch of Space Exploration Technologies' (SpaceX) Falcon 1 rocket on Sept. 28, 2008.

And that's just recent history. Sherman, set the Wayback Machine to 1960:

Read and Comment on the Column HERE.

Shelby holding up NASA stimulus funding

Citing an article in the print edition of Space News, Space Politics is reporting Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) is "is holding up the release of “most if not all” of the $1 billion allocated to NASA in the stimulus bill approved earlier this year."

Read the Post HERE.