Congress Will Be Watching Closely As It Ponders NASA's
Direction
March 22 could be a make-or-break
day for not only the fledgling commercial space company SpaceX, but
also for the fate of NASA's budget before the United States
Congress. That is the day the 154-foot-tall Falcon 9 rocket is set
to be launched for the first time from Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station in Florida.
Falcon 9, which was built with an infusion of $234 million from
NASA, is the vehicle the space agency hopes to use to transport
supplies to ISS after the shuttle retires following four more
missions this year. Until the U.S. has a reliable launch vehicle,
NASA will be looking to Russia to carry supplies and crew to the
orbiting outpost.
"There's a lot riding on the maiden flight of Falcon 9 …"
said NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden in a brief interview
Tuesday, adding that SpaceX must prove that it can "safely get to
orbit" and eventually dock with the station. "Those tests are
critical."
Falcon 9 File Photo
The Orlando Sentinel cites an aerospace executive who was not
authorized to speak to the media due to a potential conflict of
interest as saying "If they go down the tubes, we all go with
them."
President Obama scrapped the Constellation moon rocket program
in his FY2011 budget, but should the Falcon 9 test fail, it's
allies will no doubt step up their efforts to have the program
reinstated. The White House reportedly is keen on private companies
ferrying cargo, and eventually astronauts to space. SpaceX has gone
so far as to put viewports in its Dragon capsule, hoping for that
opportunity.
But many on Capitol Hill question whether it is prudent to put
all of the nations' space eggs in the commercial basket,
particularly when the systems are not proven and $9 billion has
already been spent on the Constellation program. "They [SpaceX
executives] are saying they are going to fly it this spring. Let's
hope they do, and let's hope it is successful. But what if it
isn't?" asked U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-FL. He is one who favors
continued testing the Ares I rocket ... part of the Constellation
program and would carry astronauts into orbit.
SpaceX Dragon Artist's
Concept
SpaceX tried unsuccessfully three times to launch its smaller
Falcon 1 rocket before delivering a payload safely to orbit on the
4th try.
Space Policy Institute Analyst John Logsdon told the Sentinel
that the Falcon 9 launch is not a make-or-break scenario. He
said NASA has often used private rockets to launch unmanned
payloads, including the solar probe launched last week on a United
Launch Alliance Atlas V booster.
Logsdon noted that a successful Falcon 9 test is "clearly
important to the credibility" of Obama's decision But "(i)t's the
first launch of an untested vehicle, and historically not all of
those have worked."