Waiver To Nonproliferation Act Passed By Congress
The
US Congress has removed a hurdle to continue NASA's access to the
International Space Station... access that is in jeopardy due to
the interval between the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in
2010 and the completion of its rocket-capsule replacement
Ares-Orion, due in 2015.
With a 370-58 vote late last Wednesday, the House passed a
waiver to the Nonproliferation Act of 2000. The law forbids
government contracts with countries perceived as helping North
Korea and Iran to develop nuclear capability, as BBC News reported.
The Senate passed a similar waiver just a few days before. It now
must be signed by President Bush to take effect.
Last April, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin informed Congress
that because it takes three years to build the single-use Soyuz.
Passage of the waiver by September 30 was "urgent" to allow
sufficient time for the Russians to construct the spacecraft,
enabling a plan to cover the gap between the last Shuttle flight
scheduled for late 2010 and the deployment of Ares-Orion, slated to
be ready in 2015 at the earliest.
Far from a done-deal, the waiver merely paves the way for
negotiations with Russia for a contract to transport astronauts and
cargo to the ISS in their Soyuz spacecraft.
According to the Washington Post, several members of Congress
have expressed concerns that Russia will have a monopoly on
transport to the ISS. Not only could it result in "exorbitant
payments", but could also be used "to pressure the United States
for diplomatic purposes," Rep. Tom Feeney said.
With only 10 Shuttle flights scheduled before the end of the
program, some legislators, including Republican presidential
candidate John McCain, are calling for additional Shuttle flights
to reduce the gap "when the US will be without its own access to
space," BBC News wrote.
Extra Shuttle flights would also take away much needed funds
from the Ares-Orion program. Rep. Bart Gordon, chairman of the
House committee overseeing NASA, said, "Unfortunately, we have no
plan but to rely on the Russians."
Attending a celebration of NASA's 50th anniversary Wednesday
night, Griffin said the waiver allowing expenditure of US taxes for
Russian transport to the US-built ISS "is a victory because all of
the other outcomes are worse. That's the situation we find
ourselves [in]."