By Andy Pasztor
The international space station "continues to be the perfect
role model" for cooperation between Russia and the U.S., America's
top space official told a House panel Thursday, confirming that
Moscow has committed to keeping the orbiting laboratory operating
through 2024.
Despite various diplomatic clashes between Moscow and
Washington, Charles Bolden, head of the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration, told lawmakers that the two countries
continue to work closely together on space station operations.
Testifying before a House Science subcommittee, Mr. Bolden provided
the Obama administration's most specific official statement yet
indicating that Russian space authorities have pledged to support
U.S. plans to maintain the space station for nearly another
decade.
Kremlin officials previously indicated they backed such plans,
but Russian news reports at the time were confusing and included
references to Russian proposals to assemble an independent space
station after 2024. NASA now relies on Russian rockets and
spacecraft to transport U.S. astronauts to and from the orbiting
laboratory.
The Kremlin's plans prompted renewed attention Thursday, because
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that by 2023 "we plan to
create our own national space station in orbit." Mr. Putin didn't
elaborate during his marathon call-in session with the nation, but
Russian space authorities have said they were considering
dismantling parts of the existing station and using them as the
core of a new Russian replacement.
On Thursday, Mr. Bolden reiterated that NASA's priorities
include funding development of commercial space taxis to ferry U.S.
astronauts into low earth orbit starting in 2017. "We have to get
away from our reliance on the Russians," Mr. Bolden said.
But in response to repeated questions from lawmakers about
potential NASA contingency plans to accelerate that shift, the NASA
chief said 2017 is the earliest possible date to take over that
role. Boeing Co. and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. are
working on separate contracts for manned transportation
systems.
The hearing was marked by continued friction between NASA and
the bipartisan leaders of the panel over funding levels and
timetables to develop a heavy-lift rocket and manned capsule
designed to eventually take astronauts to Mars. Lacking
congressional consensus for the agency's plans to move the first
manned flight of the Orion capsule to 2018 from 2017, Mr. Bolden
fended off criticism from members of the panel.
"America is losing ground and could arguably no longer be the
pre-eminent space program," said Rep. Mo Brooks, the Alabama
Republican who is vice chairman of the space and aeronautics
subcommittee.
Regardless of how broader U.S.-Russian relations evolve, Mr.
Bolden said, "I am going to work with my Russian partners" to
maintain the space station. But at the same time, he said, NASA
continues to spend on internal technical and management
capabilities to ensure that "we will continue to be the dominant
operator" of systems aboard the space station.
NASA's assessment of Russian motivations was less certain last
month, when Mr. Bolden told another House subcommittee about
receiving mixed messages from the Kremlin. "Rhetoric on the
political side is not the same [as] when you talk about space
exploration," Mr. Bolden testified in early March, adding that the
U.S. was proceeding with plans for alternative propulsion systems
for the space station if Russian modules eventually were
removed.
During his testimony Thursday, Mr. Bolden also laid out his view
of the federal government's difficult challenge in trying to keep
up with fast-moving advances in commercial drone technology. Unless
federal spending in this area grows, he told the panel, "I am not
confident that we will stay ahead of industry and entrepreneurs"
pushing to expand uses of unmanned aircraft. Additional taxpayer
investments will be essential to help shape and oversee the budding
industry, Mr. Bolden testified, "otherwise they will dwarf us."
Write to Andy Pasztor at andy.pasztor@wsj.com
Access Investor Kit for The Boeing Co.
Visit
http://www.companyspotlight.com/partner?cp_code=P479&isin=US0970231058
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires