Holdren: White House still supports NASA policy; another presidential speech coming?

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http://www.spacepolitics.com/2011/08/13/holdren-white-house-still-supports-nasa-policy-another-presidential-speech-coming/

Holdren: White House still supports NASA policy; another presidential speech coming?

August 13, 2011 at 11:18 am · Filed under Congress, NASA, White House

Last’s week meeting of the NASA Advisory Council at NASA Ames featured a presentation by John Holdren, director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). His talk, and the Q&A session afterward, covered general issues associated with science policy and NASA. That included the message that the administration was still committed to the NASA policy it unveiled just over 18 months ago, as well as a little frustration about how it’s been communicated to the public.

“The president and (NASA administrator) Charlie (Bolden) and I have all been accused from time to time of not having a vision, of not having a destination, of not having a plan, and I think that’s just misinformation,” Holdren said. All three of those elements exist, he claimed, specifically arguing that investments in advanced technologies—something threatened with significant cuts in the current Congressional debate on the FY12 budget—are essential to meeting those objectives.

Later, Holdren described how he and bolden tried to get published an op-ed intended, as he put it, to “knock down, in succession, five of these misconceptions” about the administration’s plans. That op-ed was submitted but rejected by the Washington Post and the New York Times; it eventually appeared in POLITICO last month. “We couldn’t get it published. Nobody would take it,” he said, his exasperation clearly evident even those listening in to the presentation via telecon. “It’s been quite frustrating.”

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That space policy, Holdren said, is based on three “pillars” for human spaceflight: extending the life of the ISS to at least 2020, developing commercial crew systems for transport to and from ISS, and advanced technology investments. “These three pillars were fully supported by me and by Charlie Bolden,” he said. Later, he added: The president remains completely committed to those pillars of his human space exploration policy… He will continue to be an ally as we try to figure out this exceptionally diverse and important array of NASA missions done in a severely budget-constrained environment.”

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Their article finally published by politico:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/58469.html

NASA's new journeys
Plans ensure the U.S. continues to hold the high ground of the final frontier, the authors write.
By JOHN P. HOLDREN & CHARLES F. BOLDEN JR | 7/7/11 4:36 AM EDT Updated: 7/7/11 11:17 AM EDT

The final space shuttle launch scheduled for Friday has brought renewed focus on the future of the U.S. human spaceflight program. Disagreement over how the United States can best maintain its leadership in space is understandable, given the wide range of interests at stake. But successfully moving forward on this agreed-upon path is not helped by misinformation — and all too much of that has found its way into this discussion.

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