Rep. Ralph Hall Rejects NASA Advisory Council Space Station Report

Rep. Ralph Hall (D-Texas), the Ranking Democratic Member of the House Science Committee, issued the following statement concerning the NASA Advisory Council report on the International Space Station:

“I am surprised and disappointed by the NASA Advisory Council’s (NAC) December 19th letter to the NASA Administrator regarding the Space Station Task Force Report.Ê I had hoped that the NAC’s deliberations would provide some sorely needed direction on two of the main issues that were papered-over in the Young report: that OMB’s redesign would both eliminate the Station’s capacity to meet its scientific goals and violate commitments to our International Partners.Ê Instead, the NAC has chosen to

Re-open the debate about the goals of the Space Station program — goals that were clear among the Partners until OMB crippled the program by cutting the Station’s crew size to 3;
Offer vague generalities about the need to consult with the International Partners; and
Accept OMB’s gutting of the Space Station’s science program.

The NASA Advisory Council has rendered important services to the Nation in the past.Ê Although I am disappointed in their analysis, I remain a staunch supporter of NASA and the space program.”