Rep. Pete Olson Applauds NASA’s Orion Decision

Rep. Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land) today applauded the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) decision to designate the Orion space capsule as the Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle, the space system that will carry U.S. astronauts beyond Low Earth Orbit.

“This was the only fiscally and technologically prudent decision that NASA could make. The system has been funded and the development testing is well underway. The federal investment has already been made, the team is ready and has done an outstanding job in reducing costs in a difficult budget environment, as well as working with the numerous disruptions and challenges put in front of them,” Olson stated.

“This decision is a critical commitment to the future of human space exploration and an important program for the work done at the Johnson Space Center. With this decision NASA can continue to build on current projects and investments rather than further delay with unnecessary procurements. I congratulate the Orion team for stepping up and meeting this challenge.”

The Orion Program has gone through a major transformation during the past year to significantly reduce cost. Affordability initiatives on the program have enabled the team to develop a viable plan forward to ensure Orion crewed operations by 2016 consistent with the NASA Authorization Act of 2010.

The fleet of three-remaining space shuttles is set to be retired later this summer after the last flight of Atlantis, which is tentatively set to liftoff on July 8. The first shuttle to fly was Columbia on April 12, 1981. Interestingly, Bolden piloted Columbia in 1986 on a six-day orbital mission that included then-Congressman Nelson as a payload specialist.