[Senate Hearing 116-662]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 116-662
MOON TO MARS:
NASA'S PLAN FOR DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION
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HEARING
before the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
JULY 17, 2019
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available online: http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
60-883 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ROGER WICKER, Mississippi, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington,
ROY BLUNT, Missouri Ranking
TED CRUZ, Texas AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
JERRY MORAN, Kansas BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts
CORY GARDNER, Colorado TOM UDALL, New Mexico
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee GARY PETERS, Michigan
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
MIKE LEE, Utah TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin JON TESTER, Montana
TODD YOUNG, Indiana KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona
RICK SCOTT, Florida JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
John Keast, Staff Director
Crystal Tully, Deputy Staff Director
Steven Wall, General Counsel
Kim Lipsky, Democratic Staff Director
Chris Day, Democratic Deputy Staff Director
Renae Black, Senior Counsel
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on July 17, 2019.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Wicker...................................... 1
Statement of Senator Cantwell.................................... 2
Prepared statement of Dr. Patricia Sanders, Chair, National
Aeronautics and Space Administration's Aerospace Safety and
Advisory Panel............................................. 3
Statement of Senator Gardner..................................... 16
Statement of Senator Sinema...................................... 18
Statement of Senator Scott....................................... 20
Statement of Senator Moran....................................... 22
Statement of Senator Sullivan.................................... 24
Statement of Senator Blackburn................................... 26
Statement of Senator Markey...................................... 27
Witnesses
Hon. James F. Bridenstine, Administrator, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration....................................... 5
Prepared statement........................................... 6
Appendix
Response to written questions submitted to Hon. James F.
Bridenstine by:
Hon. Shelly Moore Capito..................................... 31
Hon. Todd Young.............................................. 32
Hon. Maria Cantwell.......................................... 32
Hon. Amy Klobuchar........................................... 35
Hon. Richard Blumenthal...................................... 37
Hon. Edward Markey........................................... 38
Hon. Gary Peters............................................. 39
Hon. Jacky Rosen............................................. 41
MOON TO MARS:
NASA'S PLAN FOR DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2019
U.S. Senate,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:30 a.m. in
room SH-216, Hart Senate Office Building, Hon. Roger Wicker,
Chairman of the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senators Wicker [presiding], Moran, Sullivan
Fischer, Gardner, Blackburn, Scott, Cantwell, Blumenthal,
Markey, Baldwin, and Sinema.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ROGER WICKER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MISSISSIPPI
The Chairman. Let's bring this hearing to order if you do
not mind. Thank you all for coming. Saturday will mark the 50th
anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission.
The Moon landing still unites and inspires Americans like
few events in our Nation's history. It is hard to believe that
a half-century has passed since the United States won the space
race. Although it is fitting to celebrate such past
achievements, we are pleased that NASA Administrator Jim
Bridenstine is here to discuss the future of American space
exploration.
In December 2017, President Trump outlined a bold vision to
reinvigorate America's space leadership. Space Policy Directive
1 calls for returning humans to the Moon for the first time
since 1972, but this time it will be for long-term exploration
and use and will be followed by manned missions to Mars. NASA
had planned to return to the Moon by 2028, but in a speech to
the National Space Council in April, Vice President Pence
announced a dramatic acceleration of that timeline.
Under the Artemis Program, the United States will now land
the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024 and
establish a sustained presence on the Moon or in lunar orbit by
2028. I share the Administration's sense of urgency. As I told
Administrator Bridenstine during his March appearance before
this Committee, the United States has entered a new space race
driven primarily by the expansion of China's space power
ambitions and the explosive potential growth for space
commerce. I support setting clear goals on ambitious timelines
to achieve mission success. However, in order to reach these
goals, NASA and its commercial and international partners will
have to accomplish a great deal of work in a short amount of
time.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule
need to be tested and certified for human missions as soon as
possible. We also need to build multicomponent lunar landing
systems, the Gateway orbiting lunar outpost that docks the
Orion crew capsule, and lunar landers need to be assembled in
space. I know that as they continue to pursue these ambitious
goals, NASA will maintain the highest commitment to safety.
Part of that commitment to safety should include the completion
of a full green run test of the SLS core stage, and there is no
better place to do that than at the Stennis Space Center in
Mississippi.
The cost is a challenge for NASA. In May, the
Administration submitted a Fiscal Year 2020 budget amendment
for $1.6 billion in additional funding related to the
accelerated Artemis schedule, an amount Administrator
Bridenstine has called a down payment. The Administrator has
said the program could cost $20-30 billion over the next 5
years. By my math, that calls on the Congress to appropriate
$4-6 billion in extra funding to NASA each year. In turn,
Congress needs more details on the funding requirements so we
can be good stewards of taxpayer dollars. Concerns have also
been raised about NASA moving funding from other important
priorities to pay for Artemis. Any reprioritization needs to
include early and detailed consultation with this Committee and
with the Congress to ensure critical programs are not
undermined.
I look forward to Mr. Bridenstine shedding light on these
projected funding needs, and what is required to address
concerns about different components of Artemis, specifically
the Gateway, in order to execute the program successfully. The
anniversary of Apollo 11 reminds us all of past progress and
untapped potential, but constantly changing mission priorities,
unstable funding, and goals set too far in the future, have
caused the American Space Program to suffer.
Congress should and will perform its oversight duty, but we
also need to provide NASA with the consistent direction,
clarity of purpose, and funding it needs for success. I want
you to succeed, Mr. Bridenstine. I am excited about this. I
hope this hearing will help provide insight necessary to make
good on the legacy of Apollo. I now turn to my dear friend,
Ranking Member Cantwell, for her opening remarks.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks for
holding this important NASA hearing today about the plans to
return American astronauts to the surface of the Moon by 2024.
Fifty years ago, yesterday, NASA launched the Apollo 11
mission, and 5 days later, on July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on
the Moon.
Five subsequent Apollo missions successfully landed 10 more
Americans, and three lunar rovers built in the State of
Washington. I am very proud of the role that the State of
Washington played. Just as importantly, the Apollo program
inspired an entire generation of engineers and scientists. Some
of them went on to space careers but many of them went on to
careers in other fields of high-technology. This generation of
dreamers and thinkers firmly established the United States as a
global leader in innovation and technology.
The space race and NASA's investment in space also
perpetrated the thriving commercial space industry that exists
today. And I remain very proud of the companies that reside in
the State of Washington, using the expertise of many Washington
scientists and engineers. The benefits of space exploration are
clear. NASA should continue to push the boundaries of space
science, exploration, and technology, and I am pleased that
NASA has started to outline a plan for deep space exploration.
I also appreciate that NASA is looking at non-traditional
partnerships with the commercial space community when it comes
to space exploration. NASA has been developing the rocket and
spacecraft needed for deep-space exploration missions for more
than 9 years, and NASA's own estimate is that the SLS and Orion
won't be ready to fly crew until 2022 at the earliest. Also,
NASA has just started to study the lunar landers and other
critical hardware needed for a Moon mission.
It is hard to believe that all these key pieces can fall
together in just the next 5 years. Furthermore, last week I
know you made some changes at the organization, reassigning the
head of Human Exploration. Between that and NASA's retirement
of the space shuttle, the question of where the leadership is
within the organization to deliver on this goal will be just
one of the things I am going to drill down on in the Q and A
part of this hearing this morning.
And finally, NASA has yet to deliver a congressional budget
for the mission beyond 2020. It is difficult for us to approve
the mission if we do not know what the ultimate cost will be to
the taxpayers. While we celebrate this unbelievable
accomplishment and the fact that you are continuing to be
pioneers in space, we also need to look at the next chapter of
exploration and make sure it is a successful one. I appreciate
the value of ambition and vision, but I also look forward to
hearing from you, Administrator Bridenstine, on exactly how we
are going to meet this challenge.
So again, thank you Mr. Chairman for holding this hearing,
and I would like to include for the record the testimony of Dr.
Patricia Sanders, the head of NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory
Board, who has highlighted some of the challenges that I
mentioned.
The Chairman. Without objection. It will be added.
[The information referred to follows:]
Prepared Statement of Dr. Patricia Sanders, Chair, National Aeronautics
and Space Administration's Aerospace Safety and Advisory Panel
Chairman Wicker and Members of the Committee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to discuss NASA's deep space
exploration programs, including proposed lunar activities.
As you know, the Panel I chair is charged with advising both the
NASA Administrator and the Congress with respect to the safety and risk
of human space flight among other aspects of safety. In opening, I
would like to emphasize that the Panel feels the responsibility to
provide advice in such a way as to promote driving down risk to the
lowest reasonable level consistent with accomplishing the mission.
Space exploration is inherently dangerous. The environment is hostile
and the systems needed to survive in it are complex. Our charge is not
to avoid that risk at all costs, but to manage that risk intelligently.
Our advice and recommendations over the years has included some
consistent themes:
A key one, repeated year after year, is the importance of
setting challenging, but achievable schedules and not allowing
undue schedule pressure to lead to decisions that adversely
impact safety and mission assurance.
Secondly, is that the question of ``how safe is safe
enough'' cannot be addressed without consideration of the
overall risk-benefit equation.
Thirdly, we have consistently maintained that mission
success requires a constancy of purpose, a sustained commitment
and a clear understanding of objectives.
And, we have continuously maintained that while NASA should
never lose sight of the fundamentals in risk management for
successful program execution, there is no one approach that
dictates that success and there should be an openness to
learning and accepting alternative means to understand and
control margins.
I will speak briefly to each of these principles in the context of
the current programs, including proposed lunar activities and the long-
term goal of sending humans to the surface of Mars.
The Administration has announced that its stated policy, and that
of the United States, is to return astronauts to the Moon within the
next five years. This declaration has added an urgency and vibrancy to
an already complex and ambitious endeavor. But as NASA prepares to meet
this exciting, but clearly aggressive goal, our Panel continues to
caution that targeted launch dates, while useful to impart a sense of
urgency and to convey the importance of holding to the planned
schedule, should be used judiciously. It can be detrimental to employee
morale if the official dates are clearly not achievable, given the work
that needs to be accomplished. Unrealistic schedules can also result in
poor decisions, at least from a safety perspective, if meeting these
deadlines results in imprudent shortcuts, or elimination of important
testing.
For example, the Panel has been aware that NASA has been exploring
options for launching Artemis Mission One (ARTEMIS-1) as early as
possible. This examination will no doubt result in some useful
approaches--perhaps achieving greater decision velocity, restructured
and more efficient work flow, and a more streamlined approach. But as
plans go forward for ARTEMIS-1, we should not lose sight of the fact
that the ultimate objective of that flight is to mitigate risk and
understand the operational margins prior to the first crewed flight.
There are several critical data sets that are required to ensure, as
much as possible, a safe ARTEMIS-2 mission, such as a successful Green
Run, an effective heat shield, effective operation of the parachute
systems, the abort mechanisms, and the environmental control and life
support functions among others.
In addressing safety in human space exploration, balancing the risk
value proposition is critical. NASA's role in leading the advancement
of space technology involves pushing the envelope on technology
development and human exploration. In seeking the benefits of these
endeavors, there are immense uncertainties and inherent risks. ``Safe''
as a term used in the context of large-scale, technically complex space
systems and operations in the hazardous space environment, does not
have the same connotation as the word in typical, day-to-day life.
While there is no excuse for negligence, it is impossible to control,
eliminate, or mitigate every risk. But determining the level of risk
that is acceptable is far from straightforward and is not a classical
scientific decision. The risk tolerance decision requires balancing
many factors such as financial cost, schedule, national prestige,
international relationships, human welfare, public opinion, and ethical
considerations, to determine if the chance of a mishap is outweighed by
the likely mission benefit.
Applying this to any plan to return astronauts to the Moon in the
near term, the risk value proposition needs to carefully weigh the
objectives of such a plan and its execution. Return to the Moon should
not be an end in itself, but part of a larger strategy. One should ask
what is the purpose of the mission? Is it structured as part of a
cohesive, long-term strategy? Will the plan buy down risk for further
exploration? Will the approach apply resources in such a way that there
is residual infrastructure that enables next steps? Does it further a
potential national goal of promoting a commercial space self-
sufficiency? Does it support the Nation's leadership in space and
foster international cooperation? Great exploration has always included
major risk--whether it was Magellan or Lewis and Clark--but it has been
undertaken with an expectation of substantial benefit. Clearly
articulated goals, and candid communication of the accepted risks are
critical to sound leadership and decision-making.
Going hand-in-hand with the risk value proposition and a recurring
theme for the Panel is Constancy of Purpose--a national steadfastness
in pursuing articulated goals that does not waver over time and a
willingness to support those goals with the necessary resources.
Regardless of how NASA tackles the technical challenges, fluctuating
policy goals, ambiguous objectives, budget inadequacies and
uncertainties--including partial and full year Continuing Resolutions--
add complexity to program management and inefficiency to execution,
detracting from the ability to achieve the technical goals with the
requisite focus on safety and mission assurance. The consequence of not
sustaining a clear and constant purpose include program resets,
associated delays in achieving goals, extended schedules, and,
inevitably, increased risk.
Lastly, as NASA embarks on this next phase of deep space
exploration, I encourage them in partnership with the Congress, to hold
fast to the foundational standards of risk management while embracing
new approaches. Hang on to the fundamentals of identifying the
performance margins of their developing systems, understanding those
margins and controlling operations within those margins. But do not
fear alternative approaches to achieving those fundamentals.
For example, in considering the schedule for a critical flight test
like ARTEMIS-1, there is a critical judgment that should be made. On
one hand, there is a conservative approach that argues for not flying
the test until all components have been qualified, all subsystems have
been completed, and there is reasonable assurance that the flight test
is performed with the anticipated final configuration. This is a
traditional approach, essentially performing a ``dress rehearsal.'' An
alternative could be to launch a flight test sooner in order to obtain
data on integrated performance earlier in order to inform design
considerations on the final configuration. Early integrated test data
can advise final design decisions, but runs the risk of potentially
significant differences between the test and final articles. Both
approaches have merit and determining the path to employ takes a
deliberate, detailed and important dialog on the risk tradeoffs for the
overall program.
In that vein, NASA can learn from, and expand on, the lessons
learned in the Commercial Crew Program. What developed over time in
that experience--establishment of mutual trust and transparency, the
employment of ``badgeless teams'', and the early engagement of the
government--along with appropriate contract flexibility and timely
decision making have the potential to not only lower costs and shorten
development times, but also to reduce risk.
In closing, I will note that NASA and the Nation have made
significant progress in the last few years with the Exploration Systems
Development Program, but much work lies ahead. This is a time for both
excitement, optimism and reasoned caution.
Thank you. I look forward to your questions.
The Chairman. And thank you, Senator Cantwell.
Administrator Bridenstine you are recognized for an opening
statement. Welcome.
STATEMENT OF HON. JAMES F. BRIDENSTINE,
ADMINISTRATOR, NATIONAL AERONAUTICS
AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Bridenstine. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you,
Ranking Member Cantwell, and thank you, the members of the
Committee, for having me here today.
We are indeed celebrating 50 years of Apollo, and in that
era we had this great contest of great powers. And we were
trying to demonstrate our technological prowess, our ability to
lead the world. And in that era, it wasn't just about
technological prowess, we were trying to demonstrate that our
political and economic system was, in fact, superior to that of
the former Soviet Union.
And of course, we are also proud of what NASA did in those
days, when our astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong walked
on the surface of the Moon for the first time in human history,
and here we are 50 years later still celebrating that
monumental, absolutely stunning achievement. But as the ranking
member identified, we did five additional missions after that.
A total of 12 people walked on the surface of the Moon, and
then the program ended, and I think that has kind of been a
letdown for NASA over the last 50 years. We want to continue
doing these stunning achievements and go further and explore
more. And that is what this new program is all about. We call
it Artemis. We think about the history of the Apollo program
and what it meant the United States of America. Well in Greek
mythology, Apollo had a twin sister and her name was Artemis,
and she was the goddess of the Moon.
This time, under the Artemis program when we go forward to
the Moon sustainably, we go with a very diverse, highly
qualified astronaut corps that includes women. And we have
directions from the Vice President, who of course is the
Chairman of the National Space Council, that within 5 years we
will land the next man and the first woman, he said, on the
South Pole of the Moon. I think that is an important
distinction as well.
All of these years we believed that the Moon was bone dry,
up until 2008 and 2009. Now we know that there are hundreds of
millions of tons of water ice on the South Pole of the Moon.
Water ice represents air to breathe. It represents water to
drink. And hydrogen and oxygen, when cracked into its
component. When H2O is cracked into hydrogen and
oxygen, put in a cryogenic liquid form, it is in fact the same
rocket fuel that powered the space shuttles, and it is
available in hundreds of millions of tons on the South Pole of
the Moon. So, this time we go to the Moon, we are doing it
entirely differently. The direction is to go sustainably.
In other words, to have access to the Moon not just any
time but have access to the entirety of the Moon so we do not
miss another stunning discovery like water ice, which we missed
for almost 40 years. So, we want to go back to the Moon
sustainably. We want to have access to all parts of the Moon
anytime we want, and of course we want to use this as the
proving ground. It is--I want to be clear, this is the proving
ground. It is how we learn to live and work on another world
using the resources of that world so we can in fact take that
technology, take that capability, to Mars. That is the long-
term vision, and we have, I think, a good start.
As the chairman identified, we certainly have in the
President's budget request, what we need to come out of the
gate. I would suggest that by the 2021 budget request, we will
have more details as far as the trades that we need to make
within the options space to go to the Moon sustainably with an
eye for Mars and at the same time do it in a way that is
commensurate with the budgets of the United States.
And so that is what we are working on right now, Mr.
Chairman. I am happy to be here. Thank you for holding this
hearing on the anniversary of Apollo, and I look forward to
answering any questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Bridenstine follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. James F. Bridenstine, Administrator,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am very pleased to
appear before you today to discuss our Moon to Mars (M2M) effort,
including the Artemis Program. Artemis is the name of NASA's lunar
exploration program that will send the first woman and the next man to
the South Pole of the Moon by 2024 and develop a sustainable human
presence at the Moon by 2028. Artemis takes its name from the twin
sister of Apollo, the goddess of the Moon in Greek mythology.
This week, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-11
mission to the Moon. At this point in 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong,
Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins had been in flight for just over a
day, with the historic lunar landing ahead of them. Now, NASA is
working to build a sustainable, open architecture that returns humanity
to our nearest neighbor. We are building for the long term, going to
the Moon to stay, and moving beyond to Mars. We are designing an open,
durable, reusable architecture that will support exploration for
decades to come. Sustainability requires reusable systems and
partnerships from across the commercial sector and around the world.
Robotic scientific missions delivered by commercial landers will be the
first Artemis elements to land on the Moon.
The Agency is incentivizing speed and drawing on commercial and
international partners as it looks to land humans on the Moon within
five years. NASA is completing development of both the Orion spacecraft
that will carry humans to lunar orbit, and the Space Launch System
(SLS) rocket that will launch Orion. NASA is pressing forward toward
the Artemis 1 mission, an uncrewed test flight of Orion and SLS as an
integrated system around the Moon. This will be followed by the Artemis
2 mission that will be the first test flight with human crew to the
lunar vicinity aboard SLS and Orion. Then, the Artemis 3 mission will
send the first crew to the lunar surface using commercial human landing
services that depart from the Gateway outpost orbiting the Moon. With
the rapid development of the commercial human landing services and the
Gateway, we will have access to more of the Moon than ever before.
As we recognize past achievements, NASA is proud to be the
standard-bearer of a global effort to advance humanity's future in
space, leading the world while expanding on our Nation's great capacity
for exploration and innovation. This is a role the Agency has played
for over 60 years, leveraging the talent and hard work of America's
skilled Government and aerospace industry workforce to push the
boundaries of science, exploration, and technology development to
achieve bold goals in the aviation and space arenas. Now, pursuant to
Space Policy Directive-1 (SPD-1)--and consistent with the NASA
Transition Authorization Act of 2017--NASA is pursuing ``an innovative
and sustainable program of exploration with commercial and
international partners to enable human expansion across the solar
system and to bring back to Earth new knowledge and opportunities.'' We
are working on a sustainable campaign of exploration, transitioning the
International Space Station (ISS), returning humans to the surface of
the Moon and lunar orbit, where we will build the systems, deep space
infrastructure, and operational capabilities to expand human presence
into the solar system, eventually embarking on human missions to Mars
and other destinations.
NASA cannot accomplish these bold goals without the support of
Congress, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Chairman
Wicker, Ranking Member Cantwell, Aviation and Space Subcommittee
Chairman Cruz, and Ranking Member Sinema for their work on crafting a
new NASA authorization bill. Bipartisan support is critical for
implementing our plans for the human exploration of the Moon and Mars,
including the diverse elements of Artemis, such as SLS/Orion, the
ground systems that support them, the Lunar Gateway and commercial
lunar landers, the great science work being enabled by the Commercial
Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, and advanced technologies for
lunar surface operations. We appreciate the work of the Congress, which
allows us to maintain a robust portfolio of aviation and space research
and development activities across the Agency.
Moon to Mars (M2M)
It is important to remember that a foundational element of our Moon
to Mars effort is the work being done aboard ISS. Because ISS is
continuously crewed, it can be used for testing the reliability of life
support systems over many years and for understanding the physiological
and psychological impacts of living in space for long periods of time.
The Human Research Program is responsible for understanding and
mitigating the highest risks to astronaut health and performance to
ensure crews remain healthy and productive during long-duration
missions beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). Existing NASA projects include a
number of demonstrations that focus on key deep space habitation
systems challenges including:
Long-duration life support systems with greater reliability
and fewer consumables;
Improved environmental monitoring technologies that operate
autonomously with no sample return to Earth;
Advanced fire safety equipment that can detect, suppress,
and extinguish large-scale fires;
Next-generation spacesuit technologies that will be
incorporated into spacesuits for the Moon and Mars;
In-space additive manufacturing and other technologies with
the potential to reduce logistical requirements; and
Next-generation radiation sensors and radiation monitoring
approaches.
NASA will leverage the ISS Partnership and create additional
cooperative opportunities for the next steps in exploration beyond LEO.
We are also leveraging the ISS Partnership to define exploration
standards that will allow commercial as well as international
cooperation in the exploration architecture. NASA will continue to work
to enable the development of a commercial market in LEO and
alternatives to a Government-directed human spaceflight infrastructure
in LEO. This will help to create potentially less costly and more
robust operations in LEO.
The renewed human exploration of the Moon as a stepping-stone to
human missions to Mars has been part of the National Space Exploration
Campaign. A sustainable lunar presence will pay dividends across
diverse areas, including: American leadership; scientific discovery;
technology development; expansion of the economy; and inspiration of
the next generation of science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) professionals. By focusing on accelerating our near-
term efforts on landing the first woman and the next man on the Moon in
2024, we will not only begin to realize these benefits sooner than
before, we'll also create momentum that will reduce the political risk
of disruptive changes in direction.
NASA has long been an example of America's positive and
inspirational influence in the world. As leaders in human space
exploration, we've been able to help focus the efforts of the global
community in achieving great things in space, such as the ongoing
operation and utilization of the ISS. With America leading the way, we
are building spacecraft to internationally agreed standards so more
nations in partnership with NASA will have access to the Moon than ever
before. Many nations are now interested in conducting scientific and
commercial lunar activities, and our international partners have
expressed great interest in collaboration. We're aggressively pursuing
ways that other nations can contribute going forward. We must decide
now whether we build on our legacy of American preeminence in science,
technology, and exploration, or take a back seat and watch as other
nations define our future.
Scientifically, there is intense interest in what we can discover
at the Moon, and recent discoveries have rewritten our understanding of
the origin and history of our Moon and solar system. For example, Lunar
Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission data shows some lunar polar
regions may contain abundant water ice deposits. Understanding its
sources and concentrations will help us understand how the Moon formed
and evolved, and might provide resources for future explorers
(potentially everything from life support to rocket fuel). The farther
humans venture into space, the more critical it becomes to manufacture
materials and products with local resources.
NASA is developing capabilities to access low lunar orbit and the
lunar surface with multiple companies providing small payload
transportation services. NASA will conduct many more science
investigations and technology demonstrations on the Moon, ahead of a
human return, through its CLPS initiative. Lunar payloads from a
variety of customers, including NASA, will fly on contracted missions
starting in 2020, enabling critical technology demonstrations and
scientific observations.
In November 2018, NASA selected nine U.S. companies to bid
on delivery services to the lunar surface through CLPS
contracts.
On May 31 of this year, we announced the selection of the
first three commercial Moon landing service providers that will
deliver science and technology payloads as part of CLPS, with
the first surface delivery targeted to launch in September of
next year.
On July 1, NASA announced selection of 12 new science and
technology payloads that will help us study the Moon and
explore more of its surface. The selected investigations will
go to the Moon on future flights through CLPS project.
These missions will acquire new science measurements and enable
important technology demonstrations, whose data will inform the
development of future landers and other exploration systems needed for
astronauts to return to the Moon by 2024.
For 60 years, American investment in NASA has returned to America
and the world advances in science, technology, medicine, education, and
industry. The Apollo program helped spur the computer revolution and
led to the development of countless innovations we use on Earth every
day, including cooling garments for use in medicine and sports,
improved dialysis machines, water purification systems, self-righting
life rafts, flame resistant textiles, personal locator beacons and
freeze-dried food. Investments in NASA will continue to create new
technological capabilities for our Nation, and as has always been the
case, many will spin off to the public with medical, safety, economic,
educational, and other benefits.
Ultimately, exploration of the Moon and Mars is intertwined. The
Moon is a testbed for Mars, providing an opportunity to demonstrate new
technologies that are necessary for crewed Mars missions: power and
propulsion systems, human surface habitats, surface mobility, in situ
resource utilization, and other capabilities that could help us build
self-sustaining outposts in the solar system. New methods of creating,
storing, and transferring propellant will help maintain our presence on
the Moon and fuel the journey beyond. NASA will continue to work with
industry and academic partners to mature in-space manufacturing and
assembly for more sustainable exploration missions.
Generations past had the industrial revolution, the computing
revolution, and the Internet revolution. We believe the next economic
revolution will happen in space, and the United States must lead if we
are to empower future generations and secure our Nation's long-term
prosperity. An emerging space economy built on resource utilization,
tourism, and scientific research will power and empower countless
future generations and create new jobs and industries. The investment
in NASA's Moon to Mars exploration undertaking already provides direct
economic benefits and creates a variety of jobs across the country.
More than 3,000 companies in all 50 states are already doing work to
support Artemis missions.
The Apollo program had a profound cultural impact, driving greater
interest in STEM careers. NASA is committed to achieving its
exploration goals, and to reigniting America's passion for space
exploration, innovation, and discovery. If we bring together the
capabilities and resources of our international and commercial partners
to return to the Moon and continue further on to Mars, we will
demonstrate to young people around the world the power of a unified
purpose. It will serve as an unparalleled and inspiring example of what
humankind can do when it comes together to achieve a common goal for
the common good. Our efforts will involve the whole of the Nation,
including the brightest minds of academia, businesses of all sizes and
types, young people joining us at the beginning of their careers, and
people worldwide inspired by our accomplishments and goals. The
inspiration we will provide to the next generation helps us
successfully draw new talent to the STEM careers of tomorrow.
Phase 1: 2024--A New Urgency
On March 26, 2019, the Vice President announced at a meeting of the
National Space Council in Huntsville, Alabama, that, at the direction
of the President of the United States, it is the stated policy of the
United States of America to return American astronauts to the Moon
within five years and that, when American astronauts return to the
lunar surface, they will take their first steps on the Moon's South
Pole. On May 13, 2019, NASA submitted a revised FY 2020 budget to
Congress that would provide an additional ``down payment'' of $1.6
billion beyond the original budget request to achieve this objective.
Our approach is to leverage and build upon our existing work and plans
to achieve these new goals.
Schedule performance by the SLS and Orion are critical to achieving
a human return to the Moon by 2024. The Human Exploration and
Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) completed an assessment of
alternate approaches for hardware processing and facilities utilization
for key components, with the goal of maintaining an early as possible
Artemis 1 launch date. The NASA Office of the Chief Financial Officer
performed a schedule risk assessment of the Artemis 1 launch date,
including the integrated schedule and associated risk factors ahead of
Artemis 1. NASA leadership is currently evaluating these results.
Artemis 1 will be followed in 2022 by Artemis 2, a crewed mission
with SLS and Orion to the lunar vicinity to test critical systems and
lay the foundation for a lunar surface landing by Artemis 3 in 2024.
SLS, along with the Orion spacecraft and the Gateway will be our
backbone for deep space exploration. NASA will use commercial services
to deliver logistical supplies for the lunar missions and for
transportation to the lunar surface. Having multiple transportation
options has proven to be very valuable in other contexts and will be
important to maintaining cost-effective, reliable access to the Moon
and other locations.
One element of our exploration infrastructure is the Gateway. The
Gateway will function as a way station from which NASA, its
international partners, and its commercial partners, can mount robotic
and human expeditions to and around the Moon. SLS and Orion can reach
lunar orbit, but our crews will need a place to rendezvous before going
to low lunar orbit, and ultimately to the surface of the Moon. The
Gateway is that rendezvous point, located tens of thousands of miles
from the surface in a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit. Given the urgency of
a human landing in 2024, NASA and its partners will focus initially on
developing and deploying the Gateway's two initial components: the
Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and a minimal habitation capability.
On May 23, 2019, NASA announced the selection of Maxar Technologies, of
Westminster, Colorado, to develop and demonstrate power, propulsion and
communications capabilities for NASA's Lunar Gateway. Both the PPE and
small habitation element will be launched on commercial launch
vehicles.
NASA is conducting a series of tests inside several deep space
habitation prototypes built by American companies under the Next Space
Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) effort to develop
ideas about how astronauts will live and work on the Gateway. The
Agency is evaluating the prototypes across the country this spring and
summer.
For missions to the lunar surface, the current plan is for
astronauts to employ a transfer vehicle to travel from the Gateway to
low lunar orbit, a descent vehicle to land on the surface of the Moon,
and an ascent vehicle to return to the Gateway. The vehicles will be
developed by the private sector and procured by NASA. NASA is moving
rapidly to support development of these critical pieces of the
exploration architecture. On May 16, 2019, NASA announced the selection
of 11 companies to conduct studies and produce prototypes of human
landers for its Artemis lunar exploration program. These studies and
prototypes will provide critical data needed to inform requirements for
the Artemis 3 hardware. In the very near future, NASA will be
initiating a competition under the NextSTEP effort to fund the
development of these commercial lunar landing systems. To reduce the
risk associated with a 2024 landing and promote a competitive
environment, NASA expects to make multiple awards for these systems.
Transformative Technology for Lunar Exploration
NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is investing in
key transformative technologies to enable human and robotic lunar
exploration with an eye forward toward Mars, fostering commercial
expansion in LEO, and beyond. In FY 2020, technology drives exploration
as STMD will accelerate investments in lunar surface technologies
through the Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), driving
essential technologies required for humans to successfully operate on
the lunar surface.
The LSII activities will be implemented through a combination of
unique in-house activities, competitive programs, and public-private
partnerships. LSII will also integrate systems for in situ resource
acquisition and processing into mission consumables, including oxygen
and water. This capability will reduce mission mass, cost, and risk of
human exploration, leading to Earth independence.
Over the next five years, STMD will transition the key technologies
below through the ground demonstration phase toward demonstrations on
commercial lunar landers.
Cryogenic Fluid Management;
Precision Landing with High Performance Spaceflight
Computing;
In Situ Resource Utilization; and
Surface Fission Power Capability.
In 2020, the Solar Electric Propulsion project will complete the
Critical Design Review for the electric propulsion subsystem, and build
qualification units to conduct qualification testing of the Solar
Electric Propulsion engineering development units for the high-power
electric propulsion string. The first demonstration of this system will
be a 50-kilowatt-class Power and Propulsion Element for Gateway.
On June 25, 2019, the Green Propellant Infusion Mission spacecraft
and the Deep Space Atomic Clock instrument were successfully delivered
to orbit as part of the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program-2 mission
aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy booster. The Green Propellant Infusion
Mission demonstrates a propulsion system using a propellant that is
less toxic and has approximately 40 percent higher performance by
volume than hydrazine, and which will reduce spacecraft processing
costs. The Deep Space Atomic Clock demonstrates navigational accuracy
improvements (with 50 times more accuracy than today's best navigation
clocks) for deep space missions.
Phase 2: Sustainability on the Moon--An Abiding Legacy
A sustainable exploration plan requires that we build using
realistically available resources. We are designing an open, durable,
reusable, and cost-effective architecture that will support exploration
for decades to come. Phase 2 of our plan--achieving sustainability on
the Moon--also requires partnerships from across the commercial sector
and around the world, as well as reducing costs for all aspects of
human spaceflight. Reducing costs will allow the Agency to invest in
future deep space capabilities and use those new capabilities to
conduct successful exploration missions. Sustainability also includes
the ability of our infrastructure, capabilities, and facilities to
effectively and efficiently support our missions, while including
sufficient flexibility to meet future needs as we continue to explore.
Finally, sustainability requires that we remain focused on the next
goal beyond the Moon. Systems and programmatic techniques we develop
for lunar exploration will be designed to contribute to human
exploration missions to Mars where feasible.
As noted earlier, one component of establishing sustained American
presence and infrastructure on and around the Moon is the Gateway, a
spacecraft assembled in cislunar space that will be used as a staging
point for missions to the lunar surface and to deep space destinations.
The Gateway will not be continuously crewed like the ISS. NASA
currently envisions crew visits approximately once per year on the way
to the lunar surface, so a strong focus is placed on robotic activities
and infrastructure to foster ongoing investigations, technology
demonstrations, and operations that can be conducted autonomously
between crew visits.
NASA's access to the Moon and its resources must be sustainable
over the long haul. The frequency and duration of human visits to the
surface will be commensurate with meeting sustainable exploration
objectives that prepare for missions to Mars. Specifically, it requires
the ability to cost-effectively access the Moon, conduct a variety of
operations on and near the Moon, extend mission durations to weeks and
months on the surface, and return safely to Earth as requirements
dictate and opportunities arise. Therefore, we will evaluate future
investments in the Gateway and on the lunar surface with our
international and commercial partners with the goal of making lunar
presence and activities sustainable.
While initial crew expeditions to the surface of the Moon will last
about seven days, expanded Gateway and surface capabilities later in
the decade could support surface exploration that lasts for weeks or
months and test the technologies and systems needed for missions
farther into the solar system, including Mars. This will be critical to
supporting the Agency's plans for sustainable lunar exploration. NASA's
Orion spacecraft can support roundtrip missions from Earth to the Moon
for about 21 days. Traveling to the Moon in the spacecraft one way will
take about six days. Once docked to the Gateway during early lunar
missions, Orion will remain active, using its supplies, thus limiting
the amount of time crew can remain in deep space before returning home.
With modifications, additional supplies, and possibly other systems,
Orion could enable longer deep space missions for human exploration,
science, technology demonstrations, and practice for missions to Mars.
NASA will also evaluate potential future investments in other
assets that may improve sustainability, such as reusable landers,
reusable tugs, reusable surface habitats, and rovers that will allow
people to live on the Moon for extended durations, reduce the cost per
person of reaching and operating on the Moon, and allow us to take
advantage of the Moon as an analogue for Mars. The Moon is the proving
ground for the technologies, capabilities, and programmatic techniques
we will need to safely explore Mars. Per SPD-1, we are going to utilize
the resources of the Moon, including the water ice that is available to
use for life support, water to drink, air to breathe, and also rocket
fuel. Ultimately, the Moon will serve as a stepping-stone, a training
ground, and a platform to strengthen commercial and international
partnerships and prepare for future human missions to Mars and other
destinations.
On to Mars
Mars remains the horizon goal for NASA's human exploration program,
but it is important to note that we are at Mars now, with a growing
number of robotic assets that will pave the way for future human
explorers. The Agency has been exploring Mars for over 50 years, and we
have had a robotic presence there since 1997. Our robotic missions in
orbit and on the surface of Mars have revealed valuable data about the
locations and abundance of resources on the planet. Right now, the Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, MAVEN, Curiosity Rover, and
InSight are operating at the Red Planet, and they will soon be joined
by the Mars 2020 rover and Mars helicopter. The Agency will continue
the search for life with the Mars rover in 2020, and begin planning a
first-ever sample-return Mars mission. All of these efforts will
provide significant support for human Mars missions.
Much of the work planned under Artemis is applicable to future
human exploration of the Red Planet. Artemis will enable us to utilize
the Moon to prove the technologies, capabilities, and new business
approaches for future missions to Mars:
The ISS, future commercial space stations, and Gateway will
help demonstrate autonomous spacecraft systems management and
long-term reliability of systems needed for Mars-duration
missions.
Technologies such as advanced Solar Electric Propulsion and
flight systems to be developed and demonstrated under the
Artemis Program will help bring human Mars missions within
reach.
Similar to our plans for Artemis, we will likely stage human
landers from a reusable, orbiting platform for missions to the
surface of the Red Planet; using Gateway in this way for Moon
landing enables us to demonstrate a precision landing
capability, a human-class ascent vehicle, and operational node/
safe haven concepts applicable to Mars.
The Moon is a proving ground for Mars. We are incrementally
preparing for astronaut missions from hours away from Earth, to
days, to years. Crew aboard the ISS are about 250 miles off the
Earth, whereas the Moon is a quarter million miles away, and
Mars is 34 million miles from home. At the Moon, crew will
learn to live away from the ability to return to Earth for
weeks at a time and, ultimately, months at a time before we
send them on years-long trips to Mars.
The farther humans venture into space, the more critical it
becomes to manufacture materials and products with in situ
resources rather than using multiple launches to provide the
supplies needed for long-duration missions; the Moon provides
opportunities to test technologies to access, extract and use
those resources (e.g., water ice).
We are developing dust-mitigation strategies that can be
evaluated on the Moon before going to Mars.
Sustained presence on the lunar surface provides
opportunities to demonstrate capabilities for long-duration
surface habitation, including advanced surface suits, human-
scale pressurized surface mobility, and progressively Earth-
independent medical and behavioral health operations to support
crew.
Surface operations at the Moon allow us to demonstrate
systems and procedures for high-capacity surface power
generation and storage, operating with communications delay,
and conducting in situ science analysis.
NASA could use commercial partnership approaches pioneered
in LEO and advanced at the Moon for cargo delivery and other
purposes related to Mars exploration.
NASA will carefully trade the benefits of testing on the
lunar surface against Earth testing and simulation.
We have asked Congress for additional resources to get to the Moon
by 2024, which will enable us to get to Mars more quickly and safely.
The work we accomplish at the Moon over the next decade and beyond will
ensure we can send the first humans to Mars.
Conclusion
Exploring the Moon will help create a vibrant future that will
continue U.S. leadership in space and establish a strategic presence on
the Moon; lead to groundbreaking scientific research and technology
development; expand America's global economic impact; grow U.S.
industry and international partnerships; and prove technologies,
capabilities, and new business approaches for future human missions to
Mars. Beyond this, our Moon to Mars effort will inspire the Artemis
generation, a new generation of students to pursue STEM careers, just
as Apollo did for an earlier generation.
There are two types of risks inherent in carrying out ambitious
human spaceflight programs: political and technical. With our workforce
and partners, we will retire the technical risk, but political risk
remains a factor. NASA has the support of this Administration to take
our next giant leap, but we need additional resources and support from
Congress to make an accelerated human return to the Moon by 2024 a
reality. We appreciate the Committee's consideration and support, and I
would be pleased to respond to your questions.
The Chairman. Well, thank you very much Administrator
Bridenstine. And I am afraid I must have misspoken earlier when
I said that this was the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing.
I was a freshman in college at the time and that could not
possibly have been 50 years ago.
[Laughter.]
The Chairman. So, I am going to ask my staff to
recalculate----
[Laughter.]
The Chairman.--something is wrong there. Well, look, we are
going to have to get the money right, and thank you for being
ambitious. And thank you to the Administration for saying we
can move this 5 years earlier and make it a priority and
something we can be proud of, but also something that is going
to be safe.
Let me just ask, you just talked about not getting a budget
number for defense and non-defense discretionary, getting to
October 1 and moving to a CR. Maybe in the short term a two-
week, a month-long, or even a year-long CR. That would be
counterproductive to getting you where you need to go, is that
correct? And how would it affect you?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir. It would be devastating. What we
lack right now is a lander. The United States of America has
not had a Moon lander since 1972, the last time we landed on
the surface of the Moon. That is something that we need to
develop. Of course, we have commercial partners that have been
investing their own money, and we are thrilled about that by
the way. We have opportunities to achieve this goal because of
the investments some of them have already made.
And in fact, a number of them. I mean we are talking about
a number of private companies that have already invested money.
That being said, it is not cheap to build a lander, and of
course, they are looking for support from NASA and we want to
be that support. We believe doing a public-private partnership
is an important thing, and at the end with a public-private
partnership, they will be able to have customers that are not
NASA. In other words, we can have more access for a lesser cost
and grow the space economy.
All of that being said, if we end up in a CR, that lander
does not continue to get developed. And we do not have money in
the budget right now to develop a lander. It takes a good bit
of time, which is why we need to get started right away. If we
end up, sir, in a CR for a period of a year or even more, it
would be devastating for trying to achieve the goal of landing
the next man and the first woman on the South Pole.
The Chairman. To some people, CR, a continuing resolution,
sounds innocuous. Just level funding, just keep the level
funding. It is way worse than that, isn't it, Mr.
Administrator?
Mr. Bridenstine. It is. In fact, a lot of people
associate--and I can tell you as the NASA Administrator, they
associate a CR with keeping things steady. The reality is we
then do not make investments that we need to make, but even
worse, we continue to make investments that we do not need to
make. And so, it is in fact a waste of money when we end up in
a CR, and that is one of my biggest concerns is we will be
spending money on things we do not need and not spending money
on the things we do need.
The Chairman. Thank you for clarifying that. You told the
Committee in March that NASA would examine all available
options to ensure the first flight of the SLS, now called
Artemis I, takes place by 2021. How confident are you now that
we can meet that deadline of 2021 for Artemis I?
Mr. Bridenstine. I think 2021 is definitely achievable for
the Artemis I launch vehicle, and we--so as has already been
identified by the Ranking Member, Mr. Chairman, we made some
changes at the head of the Human Exploration and Operations
Mission Directorate. Some of the challenges that we have had as
an agency going back in time are cost and schedule, being
realistic about cost and schedule, and then meeting the cost
and schedule milestones that we, ourselves, set.
So, in order to reset the cost and schedule of some of
these flagship programs, as you said SLS, we made changes at
the top of the Human Exploration and Operations Mission
Directorate. We are moving rapidly to put new folks in place.
Again, highly qualified folks but I want them to be in place
before we set out a new deadline for Artemis I. And I say that
because we need buy-in from the people who will lead the
agency, and that goes all the way down to the Stennis Space
Center. We need buy-in there. We need to set very realistic
milestones.
Some of the challenges we have had in the past, and this is
in GAO reports and IG reports, NASA has not been good at
setting realistic budgets and schedules, and we need to get
better at that. So, before we announce a new date, I want to
make sure that we have a new leadership team in place.
The Chairman. Good. And quickly, with regard to green run,
are you still determined to do it? Will you do all of it or
just part of it?
Mr. Bridenstine. Green run is absolutely in the baseline
plan. And as far as the scope of the green run, I do not know
what that is going to look like yet. I want to make sure we get
the new team in place so that they can assess the situation,
and I will be more than happy to report to you as soon as that
is in place.
The Chairman. Thank you, sir. Senator Cantwell.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Administrator
Bridenstine, you mentioned the Human Space Exploration
Associate Administrator, so who is going to be making decisions
on Artemis such as whether or not to do a green run test of the
Space Launch System?
Mr. Bridenstine. We want to make sure that we have new
leadership in place before we make those decisions. Certainly,
we have very experienced, highly qualified folks in acting
positions in those in those key positions, namely Human
Exploration and Operations, the Associate Administrator, and
then the Exploration Systems Development Division within Human
Exploration.
We have acting folks there that they have been at the
agency a long time, highly qualified, and in fact, they may end
up applying for the positions and getting the positions. We are
opening it up to the entire Nation. We want to find the
absolute best talent. We want to move quickly. I think that is
important, ma'am.
Senator Cantwell. That does not affect your decision-making
in the next year?
Mr. Bridenstine. Within the next probably 6 weeks, it will
not, but I do want to make sure that before we make commitments
on the scope of the green run, before we make commitments on
timelines, want to make sure that new team is in place, and
that they have buy-in to realistic cost and schedule so that
ultimately it is their cost and schedule and they can be held
accountable to it.
Senator Cantwell. And that was something that was missing
before?
Mr. Bridenstine. I think we have a long history at NASA of
cost and schedule not being set in a realistic way, and then of
course not achieving our cost and schedule. And in many cases
that leads to lack of confidence from the key people that we
need, namely folks here on this committee.
Senator Cantwell. Well, I definitely believe in system
testing. I think we learned enough from Columbia and other
things that we need to have testing----
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, ma'am.
Senator Cantwell. It is very, very important. So, when can
we expect to see a 2024 budget for the operation?
Mr. Bridenstine. So, the 2021 budget development is
underway right now. We are working within the Administration to
come up with what the trades are so we can get an accurate
budget presented for 2021, and in that 2021 budget, you will
see the out-year funding for the Artemis program through 2024
and----
Senator Cantwell. So, you think we will be able to see an
extrapolation of that number and make a guesstimate?
Mr. Bridenstine. No, I mean I think you will see the
dollars that we are looking at spending for the years 2022,
2023, 2024, in order to achieve that milestone.
Senator Cantwell. OK. So, we will have a number is what you
are saying?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, ma'am.
Senator Cantwell. OK. And that is going to be soon?
Mr. Bridenstine. It will be in the regular 2021 budget
process, so February 2020.
Senator Cantwell. OK. Thank you, and definitely thank you
for Artemis. I hope that in this next mission, we can use
whatever tools we have to call on America's brightest female
engineers to participate in the process. As we have all seen
watching the video of the last launch, one thing is missing. We
do not see a lot of women in those control rooms, we do not see
a lot of women in those pictures, so we appreciate the fact
that you are trying to uphold an image here, and I hope that we
will do some serious work trying to use that as a tool. There
aren't a lot of tools where we are calling on women to help
with such a National mission, and I hope that we do that.
One thing that we can do here on the Committee, because we
cannot build the launch system for you, is we can make sure
that we get this weather situation correct. When Chairman Ajit
Pai was here, he said that there is absolutely no legitimacy to
the issues raised by NASA. Could I get your comments on how
important accurate weather forecasting information is not just
for you, but for the traveling public, so that we can keep
making progress and solving this issue?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, ma'am. So when we think about the 24
gigahertz part of the electromagnetic spectrum for 5G,
depending on the decibel level, that will definitely bleed over
to the 23.6 gigahertz part of the electromagnetic spectrum, and
there is risk there that when it bleeds over, some of the
sensors in space that are looking at the Earth to characterize
water vapor and energy of that water vapor, some of those, some
of that data, could be interfered with. It could be corrupted.
Now I will tell you, I just want to be really clear, this
was a study done by NASA on behalf of NOAA. NASA did not have a
dog in this fight other than we have great scientists and
engineers that can do this kind of analysis. That is it. And we
do have one or two missions that use that part of the spectrum
for sure, but nothing compared to what NOAA has for weather
prediction. This is a weather prediction kind of effort, and I
can tell you that depending on the decibel level in that 23.6
gigahertz, we could lose significant data.
Now again, depending on that decibel level, we could lose,
according to the study, up to 70 percent of that data. And if
that were to happen, it would affect our ability to predict
weather without question. I do think that there could be an
elegant solution, and I--look, this is outside my area. It is
not my--it is not NASA's job to do this, but I do think there
is an elegant solution where the decibel level could be
modified to the point where we could get all the weather data
we need and still be able to operate the 24 gigahertz for 5G.
It might require additional cell towers, that kind of thing,
but again, there are other people that should be considering
that. But, I will tell you, there is a risk here.
Senator Cantwell. Well, I consider those legitimate
concerns. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Well, I do too. And so, although it is not
your thing, it is vitally important.
Mr. Bridenstine. It is.
The Chairman. Have you had a conversation with Chairman
Pai, person-to-person, about this issue?
Mr. Bridenstine. I have not. So, NASA did the study for
NOAA.
The Chairman. I understand. Alright. Thank you. Next, I
believe it is Senator Scott--and he is not here. Senator
Gardner.
STATEMENT OF HON. CORY GARDNER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO
Senator Gardner. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you,
Administrator Bridenstine for being here. Last night I had the
opportunity to walk down the mall and see thousands of
Americans, people from around the globe, that were gathered on
the mall to watch the incredible projection of the Saturn
rocket on the Washington Monument.
It was a time to see families together, some were having
picnics, telescopes out on the mall. They had the cameras and
t-shirts wearing, you know, emblazoned with the NASA logo in
celebration of a historic accomplishment 50 years ago. It made
me incredibly proud of this country, and I hope that we can
find more moments like that to celebrate not just in this, but
in so many great things and achievements this country has
accomplished.
At times of great division and political strife, things
like this can bring the country together, and you saw it last
night on the mall. And I think I even texted you a picture of
it. I do not know if you had a chance to get down there or not,
but----
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes. And thank you for doing that. It was
a great picture.
Senator Gardner. You know, I think when you look back to
the opportunities we have in space, I think, look just around
the hearing room, my guess is a significant majority of the
people in this hearing room were not here 50 years ago when the
United States embarked on this incredible effort.
And so, for our generation, Mars could mean--it could mean
an incredible amount of new opportunity and hope for our
country. What are the two or three things that this Congress
ought to be looking at that will ensure we are successful in
prioritizing that we get back to the Moon and to Mars? What are
the two, three things that we ought to be completely mindful of
and dedicated to?
Mr. Bridenstine. So, I think what we have to think about
just as a Nation, and when we talk about vision, that is what
NASA does for the country, provide vision. I love how you just
talked about the turmoil that our country was in at the time.
Vietnam was raging. There were protests in the streets. We had
civil rights abuses. We had civil rights protests. The country
was torn apart. And yet, there was this moment in time in 1969
where all of the country, in bipartisan fashion, and not just
all the country, the entire world, watched as Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon.
And in fact, it was seen or heard by tens of millions of
people behind the Iron Curtain in Russia, in Cuba, at a time
when relationships were as bad as they have ever been with
these nations. So, I think what we need to be focused on as a
country is here we are 50 years later, we think about Apollo
and the popularity of Apollo as it was moving along, and we
lost three brave astronauts. There were times when Apollo was a
risk. It was never tremendously popular as a program until we
accomplished that stunning achievement. And once we
accomplished that stunning achievement, here we are 50 years
after Apollo commemorating that stunning achievement.
So, the question is, what are we doing today that 50 years
after we achieve whatever the new stunning achievement is, 50
years later, people are going to be commemorating? Because that
is how we inspire. That is how we create the next generation of
scientists or engineers for our country. It can have benefits
for the economy. It can have benefits for national security and
defense, and of course, has benefits for future exploration.
So, I think that the key thing is to think, what is a
stunning achievement? I will tell you what I believe it is. It
is finding life on another world. And in the last year,
significant discoveries have been made that indicate life very
well could exist on Mars.
Senator Gardner. You talked a little bit about some of the
leadership changes and finding new leadership. Last week,
NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate had
a change in leadership. Does the leadership change mean a
change in NASA's direction or long-term vision?
Mr. Bridenstine. Not one bit.
Senator Gardner. There are incredible initiatives within
NASA, specifically under the Human Exploration and Operations
Mission Directorate. Will the change in leadership mean that
the strategies, for example like Gateway, are being
reevaluated?
Mr. Bridenstine. Not at all.
Senator Gardner. The STPI report that NASA had commissioned
talked a little bit about the challenge of the timeframe. How
do we overcome the findings of that report?
Mr. Bridenstine. Well, I think there are things--there are
technologies that can be developed that accelerate the path.
You are talking about the path to Mars?
Senator Gardner. Right.
Mr. Bridenstine. There are technologies that can be
developed that accelerate the path, and there are new
approaches that I don't think are being considered. And we have
a small team of people looking at this and evaluating whether
or not we could in fact do a short duration stay on Mars using
orbital physics that I don't think many people have considered
in the past. And I think if we could do that, we could
accelerate the timeline. I have said publicly I am not willing
to rule out the 2033 timeline.
Of course, your friend and colleague in the House,
Representative Ed Perlmutter, has been very keen on the 2033
timeline. I think there is a possibility that could be achieved
but we are looking at what that trade space would be. And we
are going to do our own assessments, but certainly I think
there are ways that could be considered that would increase the
timeline--improve the timeline.
Senator Gardner. Well, thank you, Administrator, for giving
us all something to hope for and strive for. Thank you.
Mr. Bridenstine. Absolutely.
The Chairman. Senator Sinema.
STATEMENT OF HON. KYRSTEN SINEMA,
U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA
Senator Sinema. Thank you Chairman Wicker and Ranking
Member Cantwell for holding his hearing, and welcome back to
our witness, Administrator Bridenstine.
Mr. Bridenstine. Thank you.
Senator Sinema. Yesterday marked the--it was the actual
50th, Chairman, so sorry about that, of the Apollo launch.
[Laughter.]
Senator Sinema. A historic event in American history and a
monumental moment for space exploration. Last week, as the
ranking member of the Aviation and Space subcommittee, I was
proud to preside with Senator Cruz at a hearing discussing
human space exploration built in the past and the future. As we
look to the future of space exploration, we must first address
space industry issues we have here on Earth. So, Administrator,
I would like to start by asking about the workforce capacity of
NASA and its commercial partners.
From the time NASA decided to end the space shuttle program
through today, NASA's prime contractor workforce has declined
by over 60 percent. At the same time, more than 21 percent of
NASA's civil service workforce is currently eligible for
retirement, and more than half are over 50 years old. If we are
to return to the Moon, these are some of the challenges we must
address, but a 2017 OIG report found that NASA's capability
leadership teams, tasked with determining if NASA missions have
a high likelihood of success, have regularly failed to
determine if NASA's workforce was able to meet the needs of the
mission or the agency.
So, after serving as the NASA Administrator for over a
year, what efforts have you taken to ensure that workforce at
NASA and its commercial partners are able to sustain long-term
American space leadership, and how can our committee assist
NASA in strengthening its workforce to support missions to the
Moon, Mars, and beyond?
Mr. Bridenstine. So, NASA has a number of programs that we
use to inspire young folks to enter into the STEM fields, and
that is really where the key is. If you go back to the Apollo
era, most of the NASA workforce was--Jack Smith who is a NASA
astronaut and a geologist, he landed on the Moon, he was one of
the 12 Moonwalkers, he has said that the NASA workforce was
somewhere between 25 and 30 years old on average in those days.
We are significantly different from that as you have
identified. We have a bow wave of retirements coming.
As you mentioned, half of our workforce is above 50 years
old. That puts a tremendous challenge that we need to address
on the table. A couple of things that I think are important,
and that is, getting people inspired early. And I will tell you
one program, that I talked about a lot, that I fully support,
that has direct implications for NASA's workforce, is FIRST
Robotics. These young folks that are very diverse in high
school are engaged in these robotic competitions that are
absolutely mind-boggling that these high school kids can build
these robots to compete at this level. And what we find is
there is a direct positive correlation between these kids that
participate in these activities and them going into those STEM
fields that are so critical for the future. If you go out to
the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is where we build the
robots for Mars, you will talk to folks that are building
robots for Mars right now that in fact were part of FIRST
Robotics in high school.
So, I think that kind of capability is tremendously
valuable for the workforce that we are going to need 10 years
from now, for the workforce we are going to need 20 years from
now, and it is not just for NASA, although we see it in real
time at NASA. And NASA is a big sponsor of that activity, and
we provide mentors at 10 centers across the United States. We
have mentors embedded with these kids that are doing these just
mind-boggling robotic development projects. So, I think FIRST
Robotics is one of those things.
One of the challenges that we have to consider though is
the middle management that becomes upper management, there is a
gap in middle management. That is where we are going to have a
gap that we have to fill, and so we are working right now on
where we can get that talent, thinking about are there mid-
career professionals in other industries that could help us,
those kinds of things. But the reality is we need a bench. We
are actually pretty good right now in developing that bench but
there is a gap there that you have identified.
Senator Sinema. Thanks. I next want to discuss NASA's
collaboration with universities. In December 2018, NASA's
OSIRIS-REx spacecraft entered into orbit around the asteroid
Bennu, and within 6 months they discovered water molecules and
a never-seen-before phenomenon where the asteroid ejects
particulate matter into space without an apparent cause.
And next summer, the probe will land on the asteroid and
return a material sample to Earth, allowing scientists to study
a four and a half billion year old asteroid up close. I am
really proud that this mission was proposed by Dr. Dante
Lauretta, a University of Arizona professor, and supported by
science teams at the U of A and Arizona State University.
Missions like OSIRIS-REx combine innovative ideas from
university researchers with NASA's technical expertise to make
groundbreaking discoveries.
Administrator, are there new programs that NASA is
implementing to give universities more opportunities to lead
the development of space science missions, and what role do you
envision these partnerships having as we prepare to go to the
Moon, Mars, and beyond?
Mr. Bridenstine. So, you have correctly identified NASA has
had amazing success with university partnerships, especially
within the Science Mission Directorate, which is doing these
stunning achievements, as you mentioned, an asteroid return
mission for the first time in human history. And I will tell
you Arizona universities, whether it is University of Arizona,
Arizona State, these two universities are leading the world
when it comes to a university engagement with NASA and
developing these programs and projects.
And here is the thing what we find, when universities do
this activity, meeting cost and schedule happens. And that is
not always the case at NASA, but universities have an
opportunity to do that. Going back to your workforce issue,
this directly ties in, because when these universities engage
in these projects, they get the students involved and then
those students enter the workforce immediately ready to take on
projects for NASA. That is how we develop the workforce of the
future. So, yes, we have a number of different programs.
Of course, you have identified some of them already, but
having principal investigators at universities that propose
these projects, and then using the universities to develop
those projects, I think is a great way to stay on cost and
schedule, to develop the workforce of the future, and of
course, to take to get young folks involved in our missions.
Senator Sinema. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Senator Scott.
STATEMENT OF HON. RICK SCOTT,
U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA
Senator Scott. Thank you, Administrator, for being here. As
you know, Kennedy Space Center and NASA's efforts are very
important to Florida and to the Florida economy. When the Obama
Administration shut down manned flight, we lost about 7,000
jobs, which impacted our economy plus it impacted the talent
that stayed around the space coast to impact future NASA
missions.
So, we were able to, through what the private sector did
and as a Governor, we made a $230 million investment in the
space coast and now it is thriving again, and a lot of it is
because of very good decisions Kennedy Space Center made. And
on top of that, these private companies have just poured in an
unbelievable amount of money. What do you need? We all know the
importance of what you are doing. How difficult is to come up
with the numbers that it takes so you can defend, you know when
you come here at to ask for resources, how do you figure, how
do you do it?
Mr. Bridenstine. So, it is exceptionally difficult. And I
will tell you what, first of all, what Kennedy has done is
amazing, becoming a multi-user spaceport where you have got
private sector companies launching rockets side-by-side with
NASA and Air Force and everybody else, commercial, Government.
And one other thing, Bob Cabana is the Center Director down
there and he has done amazing work to grow that industry in
Florida, but I think one of the areas where the rest of the
country could help is modeling the investments that the State
of Florida made into that Space Center that ultimately is
enabling NASA to accomplish its mission.
And so, I want to tell you from the agency perspective, we
are grateful for your leadership when you were Governor to help
us keep that going. So, I just want to be on the record with
that, and there are other States around the country that could
do similar things. A couple of other points as far as like the
idea of how do we come up with these kinds of schedules given
how complex these missions are? It is very difficult because
when we do these things, we are inventing for the first time
subsystems to subsystems, and depending on how those work, then
we can put them in the subsystems. And then the subsystems are
being invented for the first time, and then we put them in the
systems.
And so, there is a very difficult process here where we are
not mass-producing automobiles, for example, we are inventing
things for the first time, we are developing things for the
first time. NASA is not--we are not a manufacturing
organization, we are development organization. And now we do it
alongside with a lot of these commercial partners and of course
are operating out of the Kennedy Space Center. So, it is often
hard. I will tell you where we are not good as an agency.
What we like to do in many cases is come up with a plan. If
everything goes right, here is the end state. By the way, we
will put in 50 percent margin, but if anyone thing goes wrong
along that path, you can eat up that 50 percent margin just
like this and it has follow-on effects. And so, the risk is
still there, so the risk continues on the schedule, but at the
same time the margin is gone. And so, this puts us in a
situation where we need to be more realistic about schedule and
cost as we go forward.
The agency has always--one of the things I love about the
agency is that so many people there have this can-do spirit. A
lot of people there they want to make it happen, they believe
they can make it happen. They are some of the smartest people
in the country, and I believe they can make it happen, but
because our missions and our systems are sometimes so complex,
and this is the biggest challenge, because they are so complex,
any small change that has to be made takes a long time to fix.
And so, we have had a hard time with that as has been indicated
by the Inspector General Reports, the GAO reports. It is why we
are making changes at the top of leadership within Human
Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, but it is
something we need to get better at.
Senator Scott. Are there things that we can do, that NASA
can do, or Congress can help you do, that will create more
incentives for States to invest or the private sector to make
bigger investments and take more of the risk?
Mr. Bridenstine. I think that is a wonderful question. I
would love to take it for the record. I can tell you there is a
team of people sitting behind me that would love to come up
with a list of things States can do to help us, and I am sure
we can provide that to you, sir.
Senator Scott. Well, I am sure, you know, all these states
want the work done in their state, and they want to be proud of
the work being done in their state. And so, I think many people
would do the same thing Florida did if there was an
opportunity.
Mr. Bridenstine. I think you are right, sir.
Senator Scott. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Senator Moran.
STATEMENT OF HON. JERRY MORAN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM KANSAS
Senator Moran. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Administrator
Bridenstine, thank you very much for your presence here today.
Thank you for your leadership and vision. I am impressed by
you, as I have indicated previously in other hearings, and I
appreciate what you are doing to take NASA into a different
realm and take our country with it.
Mr. Bridenstine. Thank you, sir.
Senator Moran. You are welcome. First of all, you said
something in response to an earlier question that I wanted to
flesh out, and that is something I have been looking for, for a
while as an appropriator in this arena, the 5-year plan. And I
think, if I heard you correctly, I understood that what you
were saying is that while we have a 1-year $1.6 billion request
for Fiscal Year 2020, the Administration, you, OMB, and others
are working to put together the request for Fiscal Year 2021.
That will then include the numbers that I have been looking
for, what it is going to cost over the next 5 years.
Despite what you and the Senator from Florida had to say,
those numbers I understand are difficult to come by, but for me
and others who are interested in this program, we need to know
not only what it costs this year, but what it costs over the
life of the project.
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir.
Senator Moran. And, did I understand your answer to Senator
Cantwell correctly?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir. So, there are trades that we
have to negotiate out, and that happens inside the
Administration of course with OMB, and the National Space
Council, and of course the Chairman of the National Space
Council is the Vice President.
So, we need to come up with what these trades are, come to
an agreement within the Administration. We have to be careful
that we keep our eye on what the goal is. The goal is the first
woman on the South Pole of the Moon in 2024, and then once we
have those trades made, commit to the baseline and then make
sure we come up to the Hill here and share it with our Members
of Congress and Senators.
Senator Moran. When you say trades, trade within the NASA
budget, trade within the broad----
Mr. Bridenstine. Within the architecture. So, I will give
you an example. You know, you look at Apollo, we had one
lander. We had one human lander and that was it. And because of
that, there were major risks in that landing system. Apollo 8
went to the Moon without a lander because the lander quite
frankly was not ready. It took years later before we took the
lander to the Moon. That was not years but months.
And so, but the question is how do we mitigate risk and use
what didn't exist back then, commercial companies that are
willing to make their own investments? And so, there are a lot
of variables at play here. A lot of knobs to turn, if you will.
Some commercial companies want to invest as much as 30 percent,
maybe even more, into the project. So that helps us if they get
selected for the project. If they do not get selected for the
project, it doesn't help us. We want to make sure they are
capable of achieving the end state but at the same time we are
attracted to the fact that private companies want to make these
investments.
So, depending on how much money these companies invest
changes the number. The other thing is, do we want to have just
one lander? Do we want to have three landers? In my view, we
should have three commercial landers that are receiving support
from commercial industry, and then as time goes on, down-select
to two. And that keeps them all very, very motivated to be one
of those two down-selected companies. And so that mitigates
risk because now if something goes wrong with one, the others
go forward, and we can stay on schedule.
Senator Moran. I didn't artfully ask my question but you
artfully answered it. And I think we both knew what I was
talking about--the five-year plan for Artemis.
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir.
Senator Moran. I understand that we are not going to have a
5-year plan for everything NASA is going to do, but for us to
begin the process of funding Artemis, we need to know how at
least how it is envisioned, estimated that the money is going
to be required in the future. You and the Chairman had a
conversation in today's hearing that I would highlight. None of
this will work, and I need your assistance with the
Administration, your assistance with your former colleagues in
the House, I need everyone to know that if we are going to
pursue a bolder plan at NASA, we have to have a budget
agreement that allows us to spend the money.
And a CR is, as you indicated, devastating to this cause,
and so I would just ask you to rally your friends and
colleagues to make certain that Congress understands, that
while none of us may get exactly what we want in a budget
agreement, many things that we do care about will simply not
occur in the absence of finding some middle ground, some
compromise in regard to those caps. A CR is damaging well
beyond NASA and needs to be avoided.
Finally, I would add in 13 seconds, tell me about the
international role for Artemis--you and I were at the
Australian Embassy a week or two ago. What international role
is there in Artemis in particular? Anything?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir. So, we look at the International
Space Station, an amazing achievement of not just technology
but also diplomacy. 15 nations operating the ISS, of course the
United States of America is the lead on it, but we want to take
that coalition and we want to go all the way to the Moon, and
in fact, even grow it from there. That is what Artemis is all
about, and this time we go to the Moon, we have a very diverse
astronaut corps that includes women.
So, in my view, the coalition is important. There are other
countries. This is another reason sometimes it is hard to come
up with what the numbers are because we need to get commitments
from these other nations, and in some cases, they are willing
to put forth a good chunk of their own money in order to help
us achieve a sustainable presence on the surface of the Moon.
Senator Moran. Administrator, thank you, and thanks to the
President and the Vice President for their leadership in
regards to space.
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Moran. Senator Sullivan.
STATEMENT OF HON. DAN SULLIVAN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA
Senator Sullivan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
Administrator, good to see you again. Thanks for your
leadership here and your team. I think this is all, as Senator
Gardner said, very exciting, and I think there is an
opportunity to do a lot more here. Let me ask just a couple of
questions. Have you read the book ``American Moonshot: John F.
Kennedy and the Great Space Race''----
Mr. Bridenstine. I have read excerpts.
Senator Sullivan.--by Douglas Brinkley?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir. Rice University Professor, my
alma mater. Go Owls, hoot.
Senator Sullivan. Yes. It is a good read, and I think it
kind of shows a lot of historical analogies of what is
happening now and what happened back then. How about, I think I
have asked you this before, have you seen the movie The
Martian?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes.
Senator Sullivan. And the reason I have asked that, I think
there is an opportunity here when you see Hollywood doing
movies that are quite inspiring, based on a really inspiring
book, to do what Senator Sinema was highlighting which is get
our young men and women, high school kids throughout this
country, excited about space and NASA the way it was during the
Kennedy Moonshot years as laid out in the Douglas Brinkley
book. What should we be doing to help you, to help on that
mission which I think is a great opportunity, but I don't think
we are taking full advantage of it.
You know, I have talked about this before, how do we
inspire America's youth to not only get involved but to bring
us to the next level? Because they clearly have the ability,
we've just got to help inspire them.
Mr. Bridenstine. I like what you said, you called it
Kennedy's Moonshot. It is important to remember that by the
time we landed on the Moon, President Kennedy, he had already
been deceased for 6 years, maybe 7 years by the time we landed
on the Moon.
Senator Sullivan. It was his vision.
Mr. Bridenstine. It was his vision, and I think that is the
important thing to remember, especially for the House and the
Senate that this is a project, when we talk about going to
Mars, this is a project where a vision has to be laid out, but
it has to be a vision that remains consistent and that is where
Congress rolls in and can help. And in fact, when I was in the
House, we passed the NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2017,
signed by the President to keep that constancy of purpose.
So, I really think the constancy of purpose is what enables
these things to move forward, and Congress is the agency that
can help. But as far as inspiring the next generation sir, we
have to be thinking about the stunning achievements. What are
the things where people remember--a lot of people have talked
on this committee about, you know, 50 years ago, I cannot
believe it was 50 years ago. I am the first NASA Administrator
who was not alive when that Moonshot occurred. I was not alive
for any the Moonshots. I don't have that memory.
Senator Sullivan. Well let me ask you about timelines and
vision and the bold stroke that you were talking about. I was
reading your bulletin to the NASA employees and if you can help
me understand, you talk about the Artemis I mission within the
lunar vicinity by 2022, and yet you were talking about 2024 on
the landing.
So, what, if you and I know we only have a couple of more
minutes, but if you can lay out the schedule. Is it 2022? Is it
2024 for being back on the Moon? And also help me understand,
so Apollo 11 had the Saturn V Rockets, had the lunar module,
had the command module orbiting the Moon. What is the
similarity? What is the difference? How big is the SLS going to
be? Is it going to be a lot bigger than Saturn V Rockets?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes.
Senator Sullivan. Can you give us--are we orbiting the Moon
with a command module or are we landing directly? I mean what
is the vision? And then you have a minute left, lay out the
vision for Mars.
Mr. Bridenstine. I can do it. 50 seconds.
Senator Sullivan. You can do it? Alright, good.
Mr. Bridenstine. Alright, here is the vision. Here is what
we are doing----
Senator Sullivan. Maybe the Chairman will give you a couple
of extra seconds.
Mr. Bridenstine. SLS Rocket, the biggest rocket ever
built----
Senator Sullivan. Even bigger than the Saturn V?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes. Well it is more powerful than the
Saturn V. As far as like the feet high, I am not sure. I will
tell you it is taller than the Statue of Liberty. It is big
enough, and then the Orion crew capsule at the top of that. Now
we would like to see that go around the Moon uncrewed in 2021.
When we go around the Moon uncrewed, we will be able to time--
--
Senator Sullivan. That is, two years from now?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, that is right. Uncrewed, and when it
goes around the Moon, we are talking about being able to
navigate around the Moon and be able to change orbits to do all
the tests, all of the systems we need to test with the Orion
crew capsule and the European service module, that includes an
international partnership right there.
But then, for Artemis II, when we have a crew on board, the
vicinity of the Moon still matters here. We are not going to be
going to the surface of the Moon, but with Artemis II, we are
going to launch into Earth orbit with all of the metabolic
systems for human life support, and we are going to test all of
those systems in Earth orbit for a period of time. Why? Because
we do not want to test them at the Moon. Too dangerous with
humans. We are going to test them in Earth orbit, and then we
are going to take that Orion crew capsule and we are going to
launch it on a free return trajectory around the Moon. So that
will be the first time that we send humans to the vicinity the
Moon, and we are looking at 2022, 2023 for that mission.
And then of course, Artemis III. During all of these
missions, we will be aggregating in orbit around the Moon what
you identified--a command module. We want a reusable command
module. One that is there for 15 years. So, Artemis III we
launch not just to the vicinity the Moon, we launch to a space
station in orbit around the Moon. We call it Gateway. It is a
reusable command module, think of it that way, where we will
have aggregated at the Gateway a human landing system. So, our
astronauts can go into the Gateway, get into the landing
system, go down to the surface the Moon, and then back to the
Gateway, and then back into the Orion crew capsule, and come
back to Earth.
So that is the whole architecture for the 2024 lunar
landing. It is eminently achievable. A lot of things have to go
right. Of course, we have to get the budgets to achieve it, but
if all of that comes together, which I think it will, we will
be having the first woman on the South Pole of the Moon in
2024.
Senator Sullivan. Great. Thank you. Thank you, Mr.
Chairman. That is very exciting and a great vision.
The Chairman. It is exciting. Senator Blackburn.
STATEMENT OF HON. MARSHA BLACKBURN,
U.S. SENATOR FROM TENNESSEE
Senator Blackburn. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and
Administrator Bridenstine, so good to see you.
Mr. Bridenstine. Always.
Senator Blackburn. So good to see you in this position. I
have known your passion for NASA, and it is really what you
wanted to do, and to see your leadership and your vision, we
love it. A couple of questions I have dealing with China and
great power competition. As you talked about commercialization,
and Artemis, and Gateway let me ask you, what are your
contingency plans if what you need is not commercially
available, or it is not mission ready, or let's say it is
already earmarked for defense priorities? So, what is your
contingency plan so that you stay on schedule. I need your
timeline.
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, ma'am. So, when we look at the
architecture, we want to build dissimilar redundancy into as
much of the architecture as possible. So, in fact, we talked
about landers a little bit earlier, we talked about having
multiple human landers that are reusable. They can go back and
forth to the Moon from the Gateway. And why do we want multiple
human landers in the development process? Because if one of
them falls behind or cannot meet the milestones, the other ones
can go forward, and that is how we build reusable, or I should
say dissimilar redundancy into the architecture so that we can
keep moving forward even if one falls behind.
What we do not want to do is end up in a position where we
put all of our eggs into one basket and then we can't achieve
the milestone. That is quite frankly what we have done with SLS
and Orion. Now those are the only two systems that exist that
are going to be able to get us to the Moon, and so we are on
the five-yard line, we are going to finish those programs, they
are going to take us to the Moon, and they are going to be the
flagship of our Moon missions thereafter. That being said, we
want to make sure that in the future we have multiple
dissimilar capabilities that don't get us bogged down on the
way.
Senator Blackburn. Awesome. That sounds great. Mr.
Chairman, I am going to yield back my time because I see
Senator Markey come in and I know we have a vote that is on the
floor and we need to finish. Thank you, Mr. Administrator.
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, ma'am.
The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Blackburn. Senator Markey.
STATEMENT OF HON. EDWARD MARKEY,
U.S. SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Senator Markey. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, very much.
Massachusetts has played a proud role in the United States
space program, from President Kennedy, to the hundreds of
scientists who work in labs at MIT and other institutions up in
Massachusetts, to the Massachusetts factories that manufacture
gear for all the missions. The ingenuity and know-how of
Massachusetts was key in changing the impossible to the
possible with our scientists, engineers, physicists, designers,
and manufacturers. As the space race has turned from a sprint
into a series of marathons, it becomes more and more important
to make smart and balanced decisions for the long-term health
of our space program.
Mr. Bridenstine, you have estimated that it will cost
around an additional $20 to $30 billion to bring American
astronauts back to the surface of the Moon. In the Trump
Administration's Fiscal Year 2020 budget amendment, NASA asked
for the ability to move funds from other parts of the agency to
its Moon landing program. So, Mr. Administrator, can you commit
that NASA will not decimate valuable programs such as those in
the Science Mission Directorate, which study everything from
solar wind to the possibility of life on Mars, in order to fund
its mission to the Moon?
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, so just so you are aware Senator, I
have worked very hard to make sure that the additional money
needed for Artemis, for going back to the Moon--I did not
cannibalize any other parts of NASA's budget. And I worked hard
to achieve that, and in fact we achieved that. Now, where that
money came from, that was well above my paygrade, but I can
commit to you that I continue to work to make sure that we do
not cannibalize one part of NASA to feed another part of NASA.
And I will tell you why, because it does not work. And we
have tried this before in the 1990s where we were going to fund
the Space Exploration Initiative by taking money out of the
International Space Station and that created all kinds of
problems, then in the 2000s we were going to take it out of the
Science Mission Directorate, that created partisan problems,
and so in the end it never works. So, what we are trying to do
is make sure that people understand that this achievement will
be accomplished so long as there is strong bipartisan support,
and that is what we are looking for.
Senator Markey. Thank you, and that would be my goal as
well, working with the Chairman and the other members of the
Committee because it is clear that we cannot, once again, lift
our gaze to the Moon while engaging in tunnel vision here on
Earth.
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir.
Senator Markey. We have to ensure that the other science is
also fully funded. NASA was appropriated $218 million for lunar
science in Fiscal Year 2019. Mr. Administrator, has NASA been
working with the National Academies and the broader academic
community in determining the science projects that will be
flown on the Commercial Lunar Payload Services?
Mr. Bridenstine. I will have to take that for the record. I
can tell you that as an agency it has been my direction to all
of the mission directorates to follow the guidance of the
National Academy of Sciences, and if there is any concern that
we are not doing that, I would love to know it. But as far as I
am concerned, we ought to be following the guidance of the
National Academy of Sciences.
Senator Markey. Yes. It is absolutely imperative that we
stay close to the National Academies and the whole scientific
community. It will enhance the likelihood that we will be
successful.
And finally, it has been more than 50 years since this
country has built some of the technology we need on the Moon,
including lunar spacesuits--notably David Clark Company, based
in Worcester, built the spacesuits for the Gemini program and
the radio headsets for the Apollo missions. We have no
spacesuits for deep-space missions today, and it can take years
to get space suit technology ready to use, raising questions
about how we meet the 2024 target. Mr. Administrator, what is
NASA's planned schedule for development and procurement of
spacesuits for the 2024 Moon landing?
Mr. Bridenstine. It is a wonderful question. We just had
this conversation this morning. It is a challenge. Spacesuits
are very complex, and they are not easy to come by, and a space
suit for the International Space Station is very different than
a space suit for the Moon. You have got lunar dust. You have
got different thermal challenges on the Moon that you do not
have in low Earth orbit, so we do need the development of the
new space suit. What we are looking at is a spacesuit
architecture that is flexible. One that can be used both in low
Earth orbit and at the Moon.
And as early as 2020, we will be testing parts of a
spacesuit on the International Space Station, and then the goal
is ultimately to test the suits on the International Space
Station. Right now, the plan is 2023 for those suits. If we
were to get Artemis funded, we could accelerate those to build
margin into the schedule.
Senator Markey. So through you, Mr. Chairman, I would
request from you, Mr. Administrator, a timeline from NASA on
what your plan is to develop these space-suits----
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir.
Senator Markey. Because without some kind of a plan that is
in place, and you said you had a conversation before this
hearing with your staff, I think it would be important for us
to be able to see what that is. A vision, without that kind of
technology, is just a hallucination. We just want to be able
to, ultimately put it in place.
Mr. Bridenstine. Yes, sir.
Senator Markey. So, thank you for your service, and thank
you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Bridenstine. Thank you.
The Chairman. Senator Markey, I would commit to your
attention the recent article on the first lunar landing which
was published in the Smithsonian Magazine, wherein it was
revealed that the designer and inventor of the space suit was
holding his breath when the two astronauts were jumping up and
down on the Moon, for fear that Buzz Aldrin would, in his
exuberance, fall over and hit a jagged rock. Things turned out
OK but that was a moment of anxiety. Thank you. Other members
were going to try to come but I think we will adjourn. Mr.
Bridenstine, we thank you very, very much for your testimony.
Mr. Bridenstine. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. We wish you well. I think you can see there
is great enthusiasm for this topic, and we look forward to
hearing from you again. The hearing record will remain open for
two weeks. During this time, Senators are asked to submit any
questions for the record.
Upon receipt, the witnesses are requested to submit their
written answers to the Committee as soon as possible. So, we
conclude the hearing. Thank you, sir, and we now adjourn the
hearing.
[Whereupon, at 11:37 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.)
A P P E N D I X
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Shelly Moore Capito to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
Question 1. Just last week, the Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation
and Space heard from a distinct panel of witnesses, including West
Virginia's very own Homer Hickam. The through-line over the course of
the hearing was the United States must return to the Moon and have a
human presence on earth's largest satellite. On March 26, 2019, Vice
President announced the Artemis Program which will be NASA's path to
the Moon and prepare ourselves for our next significant leap to Mars.
Administrator Bridenstine it is good to see you again, and thank
you again for coming to West Virginia for the renaming of the Katherine
Johnson Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility. What a
tremendous way to honor a West Virginia pioneer. Additionally I am glad
you made time to do a town hall with employees there and tour the WV
Robotic Technology Center. Along those lines I wanted to give you the
opportunity to share with the Committee what you announced in West
Virginia regarding the work you want to do on Robotic Servicing. The
partnership between the WVRTC and Maxar on the Dragonfly system, in
conjunction with RESTORE-L, can play a critical role in our exploration
program.
Could you expand on that?
Answer. NASA sees value in satellite servicing capabilities, and is
leveraging investments from industry to spur development in commercial
satellite servicing and in-space manufacturing capabilities. Maxar's
SPace Infrastructure DExterous Robot (SPIDER-formerly known as
Dragonfly) and Restore-L support mission needs in advancing in-space
servicing capabilities that enable sustainable resource management in
space. Maxar Technologies is providing both the Restore spacecraft bus
and the SPIDER demonstration. In addition to the Restore project, the
Goddard Space Flight Center Restore-L project is also managing SPIDER
as a hosted payload on Restore-L. This project management approach will
allow NASA to efficiently manage the programmatic aspects of both
Dragonfly and Restore-L as an integrated project managed by the Goddard
team. The Goddard Space Flight Center with the Restore-L contractor
team, including Maxar Technologies, and its robotics partner, West
Virginia University, will continue to play a critical role in
developing the satellite servicing capabilities technologies that
support Artemis (refueling, rendezvous and proximity operations, and
cooperative servicing aids) as well as those of most interest to
industry (specialized tools, dexterous robotics, fluid transfer,
rendezvous and proximity operations, and cooperative servicing aids).
With industry and academic partners, NASA will leverage Technology
Transfer mechanisms and pursue partnerships with interested U.S.
companies. This will provide a clear path to transferring the
technologies to industry for multiple applications and lead to flight
demonstrations based on industry business plans.
Question 2. New private companies--like Blue Origin--have emerged
to both compete and collaborate with NASA in order to move the space
industry forward. Just this past April, Constellium--who has a
manufacturing facility in Ravenswood, WV--announced a multi-year
contract with Blue Origin to support their launch vehicle programs.
This is a significant investment for communities like Ravenswood and
has created an opportunity for this community to contribute to our
space exploration and bolster our aerospace industrial base.
Could you discuss why it's important of having national programs
and partnerships like the one in Ravenswood in order to sustain and
grow our Nation's space workforce?
Answer. NASA is pursuing a lunar exploration campaign to establish
U.S. preeminence to, around, and on the Moon through commercial and
international partnerships. With the growth of technologies and
innovations outside the Agency, NASA will utilize a partnership
acquisition strategy, in part focusing on leveraging and collaborating
with the private sector and academia to harness their innovations for
our missions. NASA recognizes that American companies are on the
cutting edge of space technology and are developing groundbreaking new
technologies that will unleash new opportunities and economic growth.
Drawing upon a highly diffuse and technical supply chain and workforce,
firms at the leading edge of exploration represent a benchmark of
national capability across a wide spectrum of activities.
Question 3. It is clear that China has significant ambitions over
the next 10 to 15 years to develop the capabilities in order to conduct
manned lunar missions, that includes the development of superheavy lift
rockets, and set the stage for a new age in space exploration.
Could you discuss the importance of the United States leading this
new age in space exploration?
Answer. China has ambitious human spaceflight plans, including a
space station, the first component of which may launch in 2022. China's
interest in the robotic and human exploration of the Moon only serves
to underscore the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in this
important sphere of scientific and economic activity. We must decide
now whether we build on our legacy of American preeminence and
leadership in science, technology, and exploration, or yield that role
to other nations which are investing significant resources in all of
these areas, including, notably, space exploration.
Question 4. Can you discuss the importance of the Space Launch
System (SLS) and why we should have this capability?
Answer. NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) is an advanced launch
vehicle that provides the foundation for human exploration beyond low
Earth orbit. With its unprecedented power and capabilities, SLS is the
only rocket that can send Orion to the vicinity of the Moon on a single
mission. It will offer more payload mass than any current launch
vehicle.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Todd Young to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
Question. Administrator Bridenstine, given your testimony about the
importance of leveraging outside partners and the creation of
additional cooperative opportunities for the next steps in exploration
beyond LEO, to what extent has NASA considered its statutory authority
to employ previously used contractual vehicles such as University
Affiliated Research Centers or Federally Funded Research and
Development Centers, which enable NASA to tap into additional regions
of the country and areas of expertise that can augment current NASA
center workforce capabilities?
Answer. NASA has considered and continues to evaluate these
authorities. The Agency is the sponsor of the Federally Funded Research
and Development Center (FFRDC) known as the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) in Pasadena, CA. JPL is funded by NASA to meet specific long-term
technical needs that cannot be met by any other single organization
within NASA, and the lab is a unique national research facility that
carries out robotic space and Earth Science missions.
University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) provide specialized
research and development services similar to FFRDCs and also operate
under long-term contracts. The civil space work of the Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) includes conducting
research and space exploration; development and application of space
science, engineering, and technology; and production of one-of-a-kind
spacecraft, instruments, and subsystems.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
Question 1. The Space Station partners and others are eager to take
part in a Moon exploration program. Why isn't NASA inviting
international partners to join us in Moon 2024 landing in order to help
with the cost?
Answer. NASA has and will continue to encourage additional
international partnerships in the Artemis program. International
partners are already participating in robotic precursor missions with
the Science Mission Directorate and the Human Exploration and
Operations Mission Directorate is working to enable the ISS partners'
participation in the Artemis campaign. Our international partners are
proceeding toward their respective stakeholders' approval and funding
processes for provision of proposed elements, modules, and capabilities
for the Gateway and other Artemis campaign systems. NASA weighs a
number of factors in evaluating prospective international partner
contributions to the Artemis campaign.
Question 2. We briefly discussed the importance of staying on cost
and schedule for the Artemis program. You noted in your testimony that
NASA does not have a great track record with cost estimates and
executing programs on schedule. What will NASA do differently to ensure
the new development activities, such as the lunar lander, being
undertaken for Artemis are on time and on budget?
Answer. As we move forward to develop the Gateway, human landers,
and other exploration systems in support of the Artemis missions, NASA
is committed to developing more realistic cost and schedule estimates
early on for our programs and performing independent assessments of
these estimates with existing review authorities. This will make it
easier for our Government and industry teams to execute to schedule.
Question 3. What are you doing to ensure that Artemis involves not
only a female astronaut, but also engineers and scientists from
underrepresented communities?
Answer. Building a strong and diverse science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce is essential to ensuring
that the United States remains globally competitive in the 21st century
and beyond. Therefore, the Nation must maintain its commitment to
excellence in STEM to ensure that all Americans have a role in and
responsibility for shaping our Nation's future. This is especially
relevant in STEM fields where students and employees often work
collaboratively to solve challenges. Thus, diverse teams think about
problems in new and different ways and develop solutions that may not
be identified or explored by teams with homogeneous backgrounds.
Additionally, diverse teams drive greater innovation and creativity
which results in a workforce that is more flexible and adaptable to
changing work and new scientific developments. Ultimately, diversity is
important in any workforce, not just amongst employees from STEM
fields. NASA Offices, Mission Directorates, Centers and Facilities
collaborate to implement a single Agency-wide approach to STEM
engagement. This approach provides unique NASA experiences to students,
educators, and institutions, as well as streamlined access to NASA
content, websites, people, resources, and facilities.
As NASA prepares to land the first woman and the next man on the
Moon by 2024, we envision having students across the Nation join us in
our journey. We envision NASA's direct work with students will attract
and engage the Artemis generation--our future aerospace workforce--and
stimulate interest in STEM careers across the Nation. NASA's unique
contributions are vital to attracting the next-generation STEM
workforce and will further NASA's strategic goals of exploration,
science, aeronautics, and space technology. NASA is positioned to make
valuable contributions in the Federal sector by providing mission-
driven opportunities toward enhancing our Nation's STEM literacy, and
by helping to build a vibrant and diverse next-generation STEM
workforce. One example is Artemis Student Challenges, engaging
students, including those from underrepresented communities, in
activities designed to contribute to NASA's efforts to return humans to
the Moon.
Building a strong STEM workforce for the 21st century and beyond
requires the development of a strong and diverse pipeline for STEM,
including women and individuals from other underrepresented and
underserved groups. NASA develops and delivers activities that support
the growth of the Agency's and the Nation's STEM workforce, help
develop STEM educators, engage and establish partnerships with
institutions, and inspire and educate the public.
Diverse Agency STEM engagement activities inspire, engage and
educate girls and underrepresented minorities in STEM. Specifically,
The INSPIRE Women Act (P.L. 115-7) directed NASA to encourage women and
girls to study STEM and to pursue STEM careers. NASA's efforts in this
area span across the scope of NASA's endeavors in public engagement and
education, with a focus on mentorship and opportunities that provide
all students, including young women and girls with experiences
interacting with NASA's women in action. NASA endeavors to provide
unique opportunities for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students to
be exposed to STEM through a spectrum of engagement. Activities that
reach the targeted demographic, while fulfilling a broader purpose,
include:
NASA astronaut appearances,
Speakers Bureau, Girls & Boys mentoring opportunities,
Aspire to Inspire website, and
Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Research
Going forward, NASA educational outreach activities will continue
to leverage the Agency's unique mission of research and discovery as a
powerful context for inspiration and student learning, sharing our
inspirational activities with the broadest audience possible. To this
end, NASA will continue to monitor its efforts to share the STEM
message with diverse groups, including women and individuals from
underrepresented and underserved groups, pledging to use these results
as a stepping stone for more effective STEM outreach efforts.
Additionally, NASA will continue to work toward attracting and
retaining diverse employees in STEM career fields while also providing
student access to NASA's world-class research and technology
facilities, mission data and Agency technical experts.
Question 4. Please provide your plan for developing spacesuits for
the Artemis mission.
Answer. NASA is developing a flexible spacesuit architecture with
common core subsystems that can be modified to support the needs of
specific destinations from low-Earth orbit to the lunar surface. NASA
intends to demonstrate the core spacesuit technologies and subsystems
applicable to both ISS-based operations and surface exploration through
a series of subsystem demonstrations at ISS, culminating in delivery of
a complete suit system in 2023 for an on-orbit demonstration at ISS
prior to the 2024 mission.
NASA intends to complete remaining development, build, and
certification of the first three flight units (one for demonstration at
ISS, two for Artemis 3) in-house with individual components acquired
from multiple vendors across the country. A separate production
contract for future builds of the Government design will be
competitively awarded before 2023 to ensure seamless transition into
Artemis sustaining operations.
Question 5. Systems testing and safety are essential. How much
input have the independent technical authorities at the agency had into
the testing regime for components of the Artemis mission?
Answer. Independent technical authorities for safety, engineering,
and health and medical provide independent views of Human Exploration
and Operations Mission Directorate activities, ensure direction to the
programs reflects the views of the NASA technical authority community,
review and approve waivers to engineering, safety, and health and
medical requirements, facilitate dissenting opinions, and facilitate
the appeal process to ensure proper implementation and disposition to
appropriate management levels, and keep the Agency Engineering, Safety,
and Health and Medical leadership informed of program activities and
issues. The technical authorities are responsible for ensuring that
proper engineering and safety rigor, review, risk evaluation,
resolution and coordination occur in critical technical issues at the
Enterprise and Program Levels.
The Artemis Enterprise uses decision-making boards at various
levels to establish and control the guidance, policy, programmatic, and
technical baselines necessary to successfully implement the
architecture. The Agency technical authorities are well represented in
Artemis decision-making processes. They are members of the ESD Control
Board (ECB) as well as the Joint Integration Control Board (JICB) and
Joint Program Control Board (JPCB). The ECB is the decision-making
entity for topics relating to the initiation, planning, formulation,
implementation, and evaluation of ESD programs. The JPCB is a joint
SLS, Orion, and EGS Program board that resolves issues among Programs
where two or more Programs are involved. The JPCB serves as the
decision-making forum to make policy and programmatic/technical
decisions impacting more than one Program. The JICB dispositions
integrated products assigned to the Programs and other cross-program
technical issues.
In addition, Orion, Space Launch System (SLS), and Exploration
Ground Systems (EGS) have program-level independent technical
authorities who provide oversight and advice and serve on Program
Control Boards that establish and control individual Program baselines,
and serve as the decision-making forum within that Program for policy,
programmatic and technical decisions. The independent technical
authorities have been extensively involved in the development and
review of the test and verification programs for SLS, Orion, and EGS,
and the test plans have been reviewed at Preliminary Design Reviews and
Critical Design Reviews.
Question 6. What is the justification for including on orbit
delivery as a requirement for elements of Gateway and lander? How is
the agency ensuring that all interested commercial companies are able
to compete in a fair, balanced manner to participate in the Artemis
program? Is NASA considering the risk that some of these launch
vehicles will not be ready in time?
Answer. NASA intends for the Gateway and Human Landing System to
involve contracts with commercial partners and that the Agency will
support partners' activities on and near the Moon in furtherance of
NASA's mission needs. The intent is for partners to provide an
integrated, streamlined solution that reduces the number of handovers
between industry and the Government and ensures partners have clear
accountability for delivering functional hardware in support of NASA's
lunar missions. That accountability includes providing commercial
partners with the discretion and latitude to select dependable launch
vehicles (which may include launch vehicle modifications) that meet
their unique needs and help close their business cases in order to
achieve mission success. Additionally, NASA's requirements necessitate
proven launch vehicle capabilities and NASA retains appropriate levels
of launch vehicle insight for each individual mission or mission
component. NASA believes that the availability of commercial launch
vehicles capable of supporting Artemis is of low risk.
NASA is pursuing full and open competition to the maximum extent
practicable for the Artemis program. Allowing all interested commercial
companies with capabilities to support the program the opportunities to
participate is essential to bring down acquisition costs and bring new
innovation to the program. To that end, NASA is strategically
leveraging critical aspects of U.S. industry (including small
businesses), as well as the support of international partners, in order
to effectuate a sustainable human presence both in cislunar space and
on the lunar surface.
Question 7. It is unclear at this point when commercial crew
providers will be able to start flying astronauts to the International
Space Station. What is NASA's plan to ensure continued access to the
International Space Station in the event that commercial crew providers
are not ready to start flying on the currently planned date?
Answer. NASA executed a modification to its contract with Roscosmos
in March 2019 to obtain Soyuz transportation services for one U.S. crew
member in late 2019 and one crew member in the spring of 2020 to ensure
continued U.S. presence aboard the Space Station to maintain safe
operations of the ISS and maximize the time dedicated to research on
the orbiting laboratory until U.S. commercial crew providers begin
sustained transportation operations.
In addition, NASA is in contract discussions with Roscosmos for
services on a sole source basis for a potential Soyuz seat and
associated services to the ISS. This transportation would be for one
crewmember in the fall of 2020, with a return in the spring of 2021.
NASA is committed to launching U.S. astronauts aboard domestic
spacecraft. Soyuz transportation provides flexibility and back-up
capability without adding unnecessary schedule pressure to our U.S.
commercial crew providers.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Amy Klobuchar to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
Diversity in STEM. The National Association of Manufacturing
recently reported that the U.S. will have to fill 3.5 million STEM jobs
by 2025--with more than 2 million of them going unfilled because of the
lack of highly skilled candidates. I introduced bipartisan legislation
that passed this Committee earlier this month to encourage veterans and
military spouses to pursue careers in STEM fields, and I also led
bipartisan legislation to encourage women and minorities to pursue
careers in aerospace and STEM that was signed into law in 2017.
Question 1. Do you agree that it is important to train a diverse
workforce to fill STEM jobs, and if so, why?
Answer. Yes. Building a strong and diverse science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce is essential to ensuring
that the United States remains globally competitive in the 21st century
and beyond. Therefore, the Nation must maintain its commitment to
excellence in STEM to ensure that all Americans have a role in and
responsibility for shaping our Nation's future. This is especially
relevant in STEM fields where students and employees often work
collaboratively to solve challenges. Thus, diverse teams think about
problems in new and different ways and develop solutions that may not
be identified or explored by teams with homogeneous backgrounds.
Additionally, diverse teams drive greater innovation and creativity
which results in a workforce that is more flexible and adaptable to
changing work and new scientific developments. Ultimately, diversity is
important in any workforce, not just amongst employees from STEM
fields. NASA Offices, Mission Directorates, Centers and Facilities
collaborate to implement a single Agency-wide approach to STEM
engagement. This approach provides unique NASA experiences to students,
educators, and institutions, as well as streamlined access to NASA
content, websites, people, resources, and facilities.
Building a strong STEM workforce for the 21st century and beyond
requires the development of a strong and diverse pipeline for STEM,
including women and individuals from other underrepresented and
underserved groups. NASA develops and delivers activities that support
the growth of the Agency's and the Nation's STEM workforce, help
develop STEM educators, engage and establish partnerships with
institutions, and inspire and educate the public.
Most of NASA's current data regarding its STEM Engagement efforts
focuses on outputs of its educational activities (e.g., number of
students and educators reached). NASA will continue to monitor its
efforts to share the STEM message with diverse groups, including women
and individuals from underrepresented and underserved groups, pledging
to use these results as a stepping stone for more effective STEM
outreach efforts. To this end, NASA is working on collecting better
data on who accesses its programs. Through strategic use of NASA assets
in its STEM Engagement offerings, NASA will continue to share its
inspirational activities with a broader audience.
Question 2. What is NASA doing to encourage underrepresented groups
and veterans to study STEM fields?
Answer. NASA has a long history of engaging students (which
includes veterans and underrepresented communities) and the public in
its missions. The Office of STEM Engagement has played a role in such
engagement but does not constitute the whole effort, which is comprised
of a broad and diverse set of programs, projects, activities and
products developed and implemented by HQ functional Offices, Mission
Directorates, and Centers. NASA as a whole has attracted, engaged, and
educated students and the public, and will continue to do so.
Through Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP),
NASA provides financial assistance via competitive awards to Minority
Serving Institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native
American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and
Universities, and eligible community colleges. These institutions
recruit and retain underrepresented and underserved students, including
women and girls, and persons with disabilities, into STEM fields. MUREP
investments assist faculty and students in research and provide
authentic STEM engagement opportunities related to NASA missions.
Central to this strategy is a new architecture designed to enable
relevant student contributions to NASA's mission and work, relying on
mission drivers and requirements from NASA's Mission Directorates.
NASA's work in STEM Engagement is focused on ultimately serving
students as the beneficiary. In order to best serve students, the
strategy includes three focus areas with associated objectives. They
include:
Focus Area 1: Create unique opportunities for students to
contribute to NASA's work in exploration and discovery.
Obj. 1.1: Students contribute to NASA's endeavors in
exploration and discovery.
Obj. 1.2: Research and development capacity of educational
institutions is enhanced, enabling broad and diverse
contributions that directly address NASA priorities.
Focus Area 2: Build a diverse future STEM workforce by engaging
students in authentic learning experiences with NASA's people, content
and facilities.
Obj. 2.1: A broad and diverse set of students are attracted
to STEM through NASA opportunities.
Obj. 2.2: Students, including those from underrepresented
and underserved communities, explore and pursue STEM pathways
through authentic learning experiences and research
opportunities with NASA's people and work.
Obj. 2.3: The portfolio of NASA STEM engagement
opportunities meets Agency workforce requirements and serves
the Nation's aerospace and relevant STEM needs.
Obj. 2.4: Strategic partnerships with industry, academia,
non-profit organizations and educational institutions enhance
and extend the impact of NASA's efforts in STEM engagement.
Focus Area 3: Strengthen understanding by enabling powerful
connections to NASA's mission and work.
Obj. 3.1: Youth are introduced to STEM concepts and content
through readily available NASA STEM engagement resources and
content.
Obj. 3.2: Students gain exposure to STEM careers through
direct and virtual experiences with NASA's people and work.
NASA Offices, Mission Directorates, Centers and Facilities
collaborate to implement a single Agency-wide approach to STEM
education. This approach provides unique NASA experiences to students,
educators, and institutions, as well as streamlined access to NASA
content, websites, people, resources, and facilities. Internships and
fellowships funded by the Mission Directorates will continue to be
supported and will continue to provide a mechanism for recruiting
underrepresented students to STEM careers, including careers at NASA.
For more information on NASA STEM Engagement activities and
opportunities, please visit www.nasa.gov/stem
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Richard Blumenthal to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
The Need For Diverse, Next-Generation Space Suits. Connecticut has
been the leader in space suit development since the Apollo moon
landing. Now, employers in my state are working with NASA to develop
the next-generation space suit that could serve astronauts for decades
to come.
The current design will be obsolete by 2024--the suits are past
their life expectancy and in need of technological updates. Connecticut
employers (mostly UTC) make the current model and want to make the
replacement, too. You mention in your written testimony that NASA's
goal is to send to first women to the Moon. Yet, opportunities for
women in space are hindered by the lack of availability of diverse
space suit, i.e., ones that are manufactured in a variety of shapes and
sizes, primarily to accommodate the smaller frames of female
astronauts. There is no program in place yet for replacement and these
space suits could be made in Connecticut. Companies in my state are
ready and able to deliver on this technology.
Question 1. Has NASA decided if they will have new space suits and
what is the plan for the future of the space suit program?
Answer. NASA is developing a flexible spacesuit architecture with
common core subsystems that can be modified to support the needs of
specific destinations from low-Earth orbit, to deep space, and to the
lunar surface. NASA intends to demonstrate the core spacesuit
technologies and subsystems applicable to both ISS-based operations and
surface exploration through a series of subsystem demonstrations at
ISS, culminating in delivery of a complete suit system in 2023 for an
on-orbit demonstration at ISS prior to the 2024 mission.
NASA intends to complete remaining development, build, and
certification of the first three flight units (one for demonstration at
ISS, two for Artemis 3) in-house with individual components acquired
from multiple vendors across the country. A separate production
contract for future builds of the Government design will be
competitively awarded before 2023 to ensure seamless transition into
Artemis sustaining operations.
Question 2. Is NASA talking to industry about its plan?
Answer. Please see response to Question #1, above; NASA will be
formulating an acquisition strategy in the months ahead. Industry has
been integral to the development of the flexible spacesuit architecture
and participated in numerous design meetings for the suit system as it
has matured. NASA is talking with industry about their critical role
initially as component providers and the longer-term need for an
industry-led production operation.
Question 3. Does this plan include development of space suits
specifically designed for women--given that 12 of the agency's 38
active astronauts are women?
Answer. The exploration pressure garment design has focused on
improving fit and performance for the full range of astronaut sizes and
is not uniquely driven by gender. The exploration pressure garment
design and sizing scheme has been validated in over 30 test events with
crew. The rear-entry adjustable upper torso design accommodates crew
from the 1 percentile female shoulder breadth up to 99 percentile male,
offering a significant improvement over all previous EVA suit systems
and representing the smallest size ever built. There are various
combinations of spacesuit elements that work together, and they are not
uniquely driven by gender.
Question 4. Will you commit to ensuring that NASA's budget and
plans provide for developing and retaining diverse, next-generation
space suits and life support technologies, like those being developed
in my state?
Answer. NASA's deep space exploration plans include expanding human
presence into the solar system, including the Moon and Mars. These
endeavors will require spacesuits and life support technologies.
Support For NASA Funding That Supports Connecticut's Aeronautics
Industry. Employers in my state are dependent on work with NASA on
aeronautics, the science behind making aircraft fly more efficiently.
Space travel may be the exciting part of the NASA portfolio, but
aeronautics is by far the most important in terms of creating high
quality jobs and exports, thus contributing significantly to our GDP.
However, aeronautics investment represents only about 3 percent of
NASA's budget and is decreasing every year. U.S. investment in
aeronautics pales in comparison to other countries, including China.
Investment in aeronautics leads to new and innovative
technologies--making us competitive in the global market.
Question 1. At what level should Congress annually fund aeronautics
efforts at NASA?
Answer. NASA's funding requirement for aeronautics research is
included in the President's Budget request, enabling NASA to accomplish
our highest priority research activities.
Question 2. Given the importance of this technology-driven industry
to our Nation's economy, shouldn't we be increasing investment in
aeronautics?
Answer. NASA agrees that it has an important role to research and
develop technologies to support the continued global leadership of the
U.S. aerospace industry. Future year budget requirements are included
in the President's Budget request.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Edward Markey to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
Question 1. NASA has reportedly contracted with Idaho National
Laboratory (INL) for a study evaluating the pros and cons of using
highly enriched uranium (HEU) or low-enriched uranium in a space
nuclear fission reactor. Please provide the following information on
the study:
Who is leading this effort at INL and which other organizations, if
any, are involved?
Answer. NASA has initiated a preliminary design study with the
Department of Energy to identify options for a lunar surface fission
power system with extensibility to Mars. That study will include an
assessment of the potential reactor fuel forms and fuel enrichment
levels based on the NASA requirement to provide long-duration electric
power on the Moon and Mars. It is expected that DOE will solicit
assistance from the various DOE National Labs to perform the study.
Question 2. What specifically are the scope and parameters of the
study?
Answer. NASA is still formulating the requirements for the design
study, but NASA anticipates seeking designs for a system that can (1)
generate about 10 kW-electric and (2) can be developed in time to
support a demonstration mission in the mid to late 2020s. Additionally,
the total mass and volume of the system must be accommodated by lunar
landers that would be available in that same timeframe.
Question 3. When is it due and will you commit to providing
Congress with a copy?
Answer. The due date for a final study presentation is still being
negotiated. When the study is complete, NASA will share the results
with Congress.
Question 4. Did Congress explicitly authorize funding for the
development and recent testing of an HEU-fueled surface-power space
nuclear reactor? Please provide details on the funding source within
NASA's budget for this specific effort.
Answer. The Kilopower project was began in 2015 with the objective
to design, build, and test a 1 kW-class fission power system with
technology that is extensible up to 10 kW. The Kilopower project
culminated in March 2018 with a successful nuclear system test of a
prototype HEU reactor with Stirling power converters at the Nevada
National Security Site through a partnership with the DOE National
Nuclear Security Administration. The Kilopower project demonstration
was funded within the Space Technology budget account, and detailed in
the NASA budget justification submitted to Congress.
The authorization to conduct this type of technology development
effort is in accordance with the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended,
and the Department of Energy Organization Act.
Question 5. A moderated reactor design in which the chain reaction
is mediated by low-energy neutrons is more complicated to design than
the Kilopower reactor, but it could be more compact than a fast-neutron
LEU design. SNAP-10A, the only reactor that the U.S. has launched into
space, was a moderated system. Does NASA's research and development
program for kilowatt-range surface-power systems also include an effort
to design and test a moderated system, in addition to the recently
tested fast-neutron Kilopower reactor?
Answer. Consistent with both the National Space Policy \1\ and the
National Space Transportation Policy,\2\ NASA leverages DOE expertise
in identifying and recommend the preferred reactor design approach, as
it did in developing the prototype reactor used in the recent Kilopower
test. DOE will consider a broad range of viable reactor options and
provide recommendations on a reactor design that meets NASA's mission
requirements and can be delivered on schedule with reasonable
development risk and cost.
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\1\ Page 8, Space Nuclear Power.
\2\ Page 6, Space Transportation Technology Development
Question 6. The Los Alamos and Idaho National Laboratories both
specialize in fast-neutron reactors. Has NASA asked Oak Ridge National
Laboratory or another organization that has more experience with slow-
neutron reactors to compete for its space reactor project? Please
describe in detail how NASA selected the entities involved in this
study.
Answer. NASA depends on DOE to determine the appropriate National
Labs that are best suited to support the study effort. It is
anticipated that multiple National Labs will be utilized based on their
individual areas of expertise.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Gary Peters to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
Question 1. I recently learned about an American Veteran Owned
Small Business capable and eager to compete for NASA contracts to
provide services currently being outsourced to foreign firms on a non-
competitive basis. However, I am concerned about the use of
international agreements that result in sole-source awards of large
contracts to foreign owned companies. Does NASA have a policy to help
ensure American companies can compete for service contracts against
foreign sources? Will you commit to working with me to ensure American
companies be allowed a fair opportunity to compete for taxpayer funded
contracts rather than awarding sole-source contracts to foreign
entities?
Answer. Contracts with foreign entities comprise a small minority
of NASA awards for services and goods to meet mission requirements.
Approximately 1.1 percent of NASA awards are performed outside of the
United States. NASA follows the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)
for the execution of its contract awards, as well as all other Federal
laws and regulations that may apply to a specific procurement action.
The majority of NASA contracts are conducted on the basis of full and
open competition. In certain specific circumstances, 41 U.S.C. 253(c)
and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c) authorize Federal agencies to contract without
providing for full and open competition. The criteria and procedure for
doing so are set forth in the Subpart 6.3 of the Federal Acquisition
Regulation (FAR). This FAR Subpart details the specific applications
and limitations that guide the use of a sole source contract award. A
NASA award of contract to a foreign entity on a basis other than full
and open competition under the FAR is infrequent and an exception to
the Agency norm. In the case of subcontracts, the FAR provides guidance
for the conduct of awards by U.S. government contractors on a
competitive basis to the maximum extent practicable consistent with the
objectives and requirements of the contract.
NASA complies with all Federal laws and regulations concerning the
procurement of goods and services from foreign services, which is
reflected in clauses included in many of its contracts. Where
appropriate, these clauses flow down to subcontractors as required by
the FAR. NASA's commitment to achieving the best possible value for the
U.S. taxpayer as it fulfills the requirements of its missions is
reflected in the Agency's contract portfolio, approximately 98.9
percent of which is performed within the United States.
Question 2. The Department of Defense helped establish the Detroit-
based Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT) institute. LIFT is a
regional public-private partnership--with members from 25 states--that
will contract on more than $100 million in R&D to develop and deploy
lightweight manufacturing technologies. Lightweight materials are
obviously critical for Moon and Mars operations. Separately, Congress
has authorized NASA to create an advanced materials and manufacturing
technology program for aeronautics. As an advocate of government
efficiency, I'd hope NASA would take a look at existing opportunities
such as LIFT to build on existing partnerships. Will you work with me
to help ensure you are not reinventing the wheel here in establishing a
new separate advanced materials program?
Answer. We appreciate the need for government efficiency and
actively look for opportunities to leverage existing efforts. Both the
LIFT Institute and the manufacturing initiative cited in the
Aeronautics Innovation Act are focused on advancing manufacturing
lightweight materials for aerospace applications. However, they are
focused on different types of materials, each of which have specific
and unique manufacturing processes and challenges. The LIFT institute
is a Department of Defense-sponsored consortium formed to advance
lightweight metals manufacturing. NASA is currently developing our
future materials and structures research strategy focused on advanced
composites, based on outcomes from NASA's Advanced Composites Project
(ACP), NASA's Vision 2040 materials study, and consultation with key
stakeholders. NASA remains committed to learning from, and potentially
leveraging, the public-private partnerships sponsored by other Federal
agencies, and will leverage insights and lessons learned from
establishing the LIFT Institute as appropriate to inform future
activities.
Question 3. I am proud that NASA recently announced Detroit-based
Futuramic as its Supplier of the Year for working round-the-clock to
help NASA speed up the production of the SLS rocket's massive core
stage and meet NASA's new expedited timeline. I've visited their
facilities [with Astronaut Charles Precourt] and seen the incredible
work they're doing to help build the most powerful rocket in history.
How do you see NASA leveraging the manufacturing capabilities of places
like the Midwest to help us achieve this next great human milestone?
Answer. The SLS and Orion programs have made extensive investments
in advanced manufacturing techniques like reaction friction stir
welding and additive manufacturing--investments to help achieve a
production capacity capable of conducting a sustained human space
exploration program, help position the U.S. and U.S. companies as world
leaders in this critical technological area. Through the Artemis
program, the next American Moon walkers will inspire a new generation
and bring about new opportunities for companies across the United
Sates.
Futuramic, a company with factories in Detroit and Warren, is one
of more than 78 Michigan companies and 3,200 businesses across 50
states supporting NASA's return to the Moon by supplying parts for the
SLS, Orion spacecraft, and Exploration Ground Systems.
In May 2019, Futuramic delivered a new tool to help NASA speed up
production of the SLS rocket's core stage. This tool holds the 130-
foot-long, liquid hydrogen tank--the largest part of the core stage--in
a stable position, so it can be moved and connected to the upper part
of the rocket's core stage, which was completed earlier this year.
The engine section will be the last piece connected to form the
entire stage. Tools like this, and another provided by Futuramic
earlier this spring to allow more people to work on the rocket's
production at the same time, are helping NASA accelerate final
integration and assembly of the stage.
Question 4. You talked about the growing and important role of
commercial companies in safely and promptly achieving NASA's goals,
including Artemis. Unfortunately, the Commercial Space Federation has
indicated that the FAA's new proposed licensing rules contain serious
flaws that among other things could delay commercial launches needed
for Artemis. Are you aware of their concerns and are you relaying those
concerns to the Space Council and the Department of Transportation?
Answer. Commercial launch service providers have not specifically
made NASA aware of any concerns. NASA recommends that the Commercial
Spaceflight Federation contact the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) with any concerns they may have regarding the FAA's proposed new
rules.
Question 5. In your testimony you mention in situ resource
acquisition. China has announced plans for building a structure on the
Moon using in situ resources. Can you share more about our plans for
this and how far we are in developing our abilities for this?
Answer. The practice of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) could
increase safety and affordability of future human spaceflight missions
by limiting the need to launch supplies, such as oxygen and water, from
Earth. NASA issued Appendix D of the Next Space Technologies for
Exploration Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP) Broad Agency Announcement on Dec.
4, 2017. With it, the Agency sought three areas of work focused on
producing propellant and other exploration mission consumables using
water from extraterrestrial soils and carbon dioxide from the Martian
atmosphere.
The first track was for one-year studies to identify
technology gaps associated with ISRU, and to further define the
benefits of including it in space mission architectures.
The second and third tracks addressed technology development
and demonstration for as long as three and a half years.
Component-level development and testing in simulated space
environments is the focus for Track 2.
The third track included extensive subsystem development and
testing in simulated space environments.
In May 2018, NASA selected 10 companies to conduct studies and
advance technologies to collect, process and use space-based resources
for missions to the Moon and Mars. NASA placed a special emphasis on
encouraging the responders to find new applications for existing,
terrestrial capabilities that could result in future space exploration
capabilities at lower costs. As with most NextSTEP contracts, the
companies involved must include corporate contributions to the overall
effort, a measure that boosts private-sector interests in the space
economy.
The Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) Lunar Surface
Innovation Initiative (LSII) aims to spur the creation of novel
technologies needed for lunar surface exploration and accelerate the
technology readiness of key systems and components. These capabilities
are essential for humans and systems to successfully live and operate
on the lunar surface. LSII will focus on six primary lunar technology
areas, including ISRU, Surface Excavation and Construction, Sustainable
Power, Extreme Access and Environment, and Lunar Dust Mitigation. These
activities span the Technology Readiness Level pipeline and are
developed through a purposeful, integrated strategy which is aligned
with the Agency mission architecture.
With NASA's return to the Moon, STMD LSII is working to target key
ISRU capabilities which will ensure an early presence on the lunar
surface and enable the collection, processing, storing, and use of
materials found or manufactured on the lunar surface. These
capabilities will allow for Surface Excavation and Construction
technologies that enable reliable, remote and/or autonomous
manipulation of lunar surface materials for mining, manufacturing and/
or construction (e.g., of a habitat, landing pad, berm, or shielding).
Additionally, STMD is managing the 10 ISRU NextSTEP public/private
partnership contracts which will help lay the foundation for
sustainable lunar presence.
Question 6. The only automobile to transport humans on another
celestial body was first conceived by a University of Michigan
professor [and consultant to the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command's
(TACOM's) Land Locomotion Laboratory at the Detroit Arsenal in Warren,
Michigan]. General Motors of course, later partnered with Boeing to
build the Lunar Rover. Can you provide an update on NASA's plans for
vehicles to transport astronauts on the Moon and Mars?
Answer. NASA aims to create a sustainable deep space infrastructure
that will enable access to any part of the Moon as needed. The
specifics of potential future Artemis elements, such as pressurized or
unpressurized rovers for transporting astronauts across the lunar
surface, will be determined as we move forward.
In the area of robotic rovers, NASA recently announced the latest
opportunity for industry to participate in its Commercial Lunar Payload
Services (CLPS) efforts to deliver science and technology payloads to
and near the Moon. The newest announcement calls for companies to push
the boundaries of current technology to support the next generation of
lunar landers that can land heavier payloads on the surface of the
Moon, including the South Pole. These payloads could include rovers,
power sources, science experiments, and technology to be infused into
the Artemis program.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Jacky Rosen to
Hon. James F. Bridenstine
Women in Space and STEM. With the Artemis program, NASA will put
the first woman on the Moon. Incredible women at NASA have paved the
way for more women in space, but we still have a huge gap in
representation. I have legislation--the Building Blocks of STEM Act--
which would focus on giving our kids, and especially our girls, the
opportunities to explore STEM-related fields from an early age.
Research has shown it is critical to offer STEM opportunities and
workforce development at an early age, especially to research
historically underrepresented groups. Of those students who eventually
work in the Aerospace and Defense workforce, 71 percent of young
professionals report they first became interested in these careers
during their grade school years.
Question 1. What are other investments Congress should be
considering to ensure that today's school-children are well equipped to
lead our space exploration workforce?
Answer. NASA has a long history of engaging students in its
mission. The scope of STEM Engagement encompasses all endeavors agency-
wide to attract, engage and educate students and to support educators,
educational institutions and professional organizations. STEM
Engagement is comprised of a broad and diverse set of programs,
projects, activities and products developed and implemented by HQ
functional Offices, Mission Directorates and Centers.
NASA has made noteworthy progress in implementing operational and
systemic changes to further NASA Strategic Objective 3.3. Inspire and
Engage the Public in Aeronautics, Space and Science. In the last two
years, NASA has improved the cohesiveness and rigor of its STEM
engagement programming and has implemented a new approach for
performance measurement, assessment and evaluation.
NASA actively supports the National Science and Technology
Council's Committee on STEM Education endeavors, with NASA
Administrator Bridenstine serving as the Committee's Co-Chair. The
Committee's December 2018 report, Charting a Course for Success:
America's Strategy for STEM Education*, lays out the Federal
Government's role in furthering STEM education by working with state,
local, education, and American employer stakeholders to build a STEM-
proficient citizenry, create a STEM-ready workforce and remove barriers
to STEM careers, especially for women and underrepresented groups.
Congressional support for the goals, pathways and objectives in this
plan is essential to ensuring that all Americans have lifelong access
to high-quality STEM education, thereby ensuring that the United States
will continue to be the global leader in STEM literacy, innovation and
employment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\*\ The report is available here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2018/12/STEM-Education-Strategic-Plan-2018.pdf
Question 2. I know that NASA has many programs and initiatives
aimed at breaking down barriers to girls and underrepresented
minorities in STEM. Can you detail some of these?
Answer. NASA Offices, Mission Directorates, Centers and Facilities
collaborate to provide unique NASA experiences to students, educators,
communities, and institutions, as well as streamlined access to NASA
content, websites, people, resources, and facilities.
Building a strong STEM workforce for the 21st century and beyond
requires the development of a strong and diverse pipeline for STEM,
including women and individuals from other underrepresented and
underserved groups. NASA develops and delivers activities that support
the growth of the Agency's and the Nation's STEM workforce, help
develop STEM educators, engage and establish partnerships with
institutions, and inspire and educate the public.
Diverse STEM engagement activities inspire, engage and educate
girls and underrepresented minorities in STEM. Specifically, The
INSPIRE Women Act (P.L. 115-7) directed NASA to encourage women and
girls to study STEM and to pursue STEM careers. NASA's efforts in this
area span across the scope of NASA's endeavors in public engagement and
education, with a focus on mentorship and opportunities that provide
all students, including young women and girls, with experiences
interacting with NASA's women in action. NASA endeavors to provide
unique opportunities for K-12, undergraduate and graduate students to
be exposed to STEM through a spectrum of engagement. Activities that
reach the targeted demographic, while fulfilling a broader purpose,
include:
NASA astronaut appearances,
Speakers Bureau, Girls & Boys mentoring opportunities,
Aspire to Inspire website, and
Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering and
Research
Science Mission Directorate Science Activation projects,
including:
Local and community-based Earth Science materials,
focused for Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Southwest and
Northeast regions, that are culturally respectful
Creation of space science-related materials and
training, primarily for Girl Scouts
Community college/physics activities in Appalachian
states
Going forward, NASA educational outreach activities will continue
to leverage the Agency's unique mission of research and discovery as a
powerful context for inspiration and student learning, sharing our
inspirational activities with the broadest audience possible. To this
end, NASA will continue to monitor its efforts to share the STEM
message with diverse groups, including women and individuals from
underrepresented and underserved groups, pledging to use these results
as a stepping stone for more effective STEM outreach efforts.
Additionally, NASA will continue to work toward attracting and
retaining diverse employees in STEM career fields while also providing
student access to NASA's world-class research and technology
facilities, mission data and Agency technical experts.
Through Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP),
NASA provides financial assistance via competitive awards to Minority
Serving Institutions (MSI), including Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American and Native
American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and
Universities, and eligible community colleges. These institutions
recruit and retain underrepresented and underserved students, including
women and girls, and persons with disabilities, into STEM fields. MUREP
investments assist faculty and students in research and provide
authentic STEM engagement opportunities related to NASA missions.
Use of Commercial Technology. Much of the necessary technology and
infrastructure needed to return to the Moon does not yet exist. For
example, NASA plans to extract resources from the lunar surface.
Engineers will need to figure out how to turn frozen water locked in
the Moon's surface into drinkable water, breathable oxygen, and usable
rocket fuel. In order to solve these problems, when possible, NASA can
procure products or services from commercial companies to foster growth
in the domestic space industry. NASA has long invested in the
development of commercial services--in fact, since the beginning of the
ISS commercial resupply and crew transportation programs, the United
States' share of the global commercial launch market has gone from 0
percent in 2011 to 54 percent in 2017.
Question 1. How does NASA plan to work with commercial providers on
research, development, and product acquisition for Artemis?
Answer. Nearly every aspect of the Artemis program includes
contracts with commercial companies. In certain instances, NASA is
pursuing fixed-price commercial service procurement models with the
objective of lowering costs and increasing innovation through the
engagement of new industrial partners. For example, NASA intends to
utilize commercial services in support of its lunar exploration
program, including commercial launch services, and the Commercial Lunar
Payload Services (CLPS) project for the delivery of science and
technology payloads to the lunar surface. NASA is partnering with
industry to develop Gateway and to support their activities on and near
the Moon. The first element of the Gateway--the Power and Propulsion
Element (PPE)--will be provided by Maxar Technologies as a public-
private partnership with Maxar owning PPE through commercial launch and
an on-orbit demonstration lasting up to one year. The Agency hopes to
expand the commercial market into cislunar space and onto the lunar
surface.
Additionally, NASA plans to support the development of the human
lunar lander system that will return astronauts to the Moon in 2024
through a public-private partnership. This approach is modeled on and
incorporates lessons learned from the successful Commercial Cargo and
Commercial Crew programs.
NASA is also engaged in public-private partnerships with industry
through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships
(NextSTEP) acquisitions for Habitation and Life support. Many of the
component systems that are developed through these partnerships will
result in solutions that have Earth-based applications for resilient
structures, miniaturized monitoring technologies,
CO2 separation and reduction and indoor agriculture.
Question 2. If these public-private partnerships develop, who will
ultimately own the product or technology?
Answer. In the case of the Gateway, on May 24, 2019, Maxar
Technologies was awarded a firm-fixed price contract to partner with
NASA to develop and demonstrate the PPE element. The PPE BAA, released
on September 6, 2018, provided a minimal set of NASA unique
requirements allowing industry room to innovate and add their own
objectives. Maxar will own and operate the PPE during development,
launch, and flight demonstration. The flight demonstration will last as
long as one year, after which NASA will have the option to acquire the
residual post-demonstration in-flight asset for use as the first
element of the Gateway.
The particular approaches to be employed in future acquisitions
will depend on a variety of factors designed to match the unique
circumstances of the procurement with the appropriate acquisition
mechanism as well as applicable lessons learned from previous efforts.
Question 3. Can you talk about the potential practical, earth-based
applications for technologies developed by these commercial providers?
Answer. While NASA defers to industry regarding their wider
commercial business cases and terrestrial applications, it should be
noted that the Gateway's PPE--provided by Maxar Technologies--
demonstrates solar-electric propulsion capabilities that potentially
have direct applicability to their current commercial satellites
product lines, enabling more efficient station keeping as well as on-
obit satellite delivery.
Question 4. How can the agency strike a balance between investing
in U.S. companies that are developing innovative technologies and
ensuring that we are maintaining the excellence of NASA's workforce and
its homegrown technology?
Answer. Mission success is highly dependent on a skilled, technical
workforce. NASA plans for workforce requirements annually based on
Mission needs. NASA's workforce planning process has been designed to
emphasize agility in all workforce segments (to include civil service,
industry and academic partnerships, and on-and-near-site support
contractors) and sharing of civil servants across Centers. In addition
to annual workforce planning efforts, NASA convenes the Acquisition
Strategy Council (ASC) to decide new mission work assignments. Such
assignments can involve the use of existing in-house capabilities,
procured industry capabilities, or partnership arrangements with
international space agencies or other entities. ASC decisions related
to internal work assignments are based on many factors, including
workforce availability, expertise match, perceived competition with
industry, as well as cost/schedule considerations.
[all]