In an Oct. 21 letter, the leadership of the House Science Committee, the Congressional panel that authorizes NASA programs, said it wanted the agency to halt work on the Orbital Space Plane until the White House, Congress and NASA agree on the direction the human spaceflight program should take beyond the international space station.

"Without such consensus on a shared vision, progress on all of these steps will stall and public support for the nations civilian space program will inevitably founder," the letter, signed by Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-New York), the chairman of the committee, and Rep. Ralph Hall (Texas), the ranking Democrat, said.

In testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Oct. 29, OKeefe said the plan we have developed is consistent with what is included in the presidents budget request for 2004. We are not ahead [of the interagency review] and we are not planning to move ahead.

The Orbital Space Plane, billed as the nations next space vehicle, would be launched atop an expendable rocket and ferry astronaut crews to and from the international space station. Plans call for fielding an early space station crew rescue version of the vehicle by 2010, but NASA is considering moving up that schedule by two years.

Northrop Grumman, Boeing and Lockheed Martin were awarded contracts to design versions of the Orbital Space Plane. Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin announced in September that they would combine their efforts. NASA officials hope to award the prime contract in mid-2004.

Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.), suggested that the president should appoint a commission to help set a vision and plan for NASAs future in human spaceflight that included Harold Gehman, chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, and several of the boards members.

Gehman said he was supportive of any measure that would spark debate on the future of NASA and included all branches of government, plus scientists and engineers. One of the goals of the Columbia board included changing the way NASA does business, and causing a national debate on the lack of an agreed upon national vision of what the United States wants to do in space, he said.

NASAs 2004 budget request also lays out a clear mission for the agency and the steps needed to reach its goals, OKeefe said. The agencys three primary focus areas, all designed to improve technology needed for long-term human space travel, are developing new power and propulsion systems, understanding and expanding the capability for humans to survive in space for long periods, and developing improved communications needed, he said.

OKeefe said NASAs response to the House Science Committees letter would  be delivered before the end of the day Oct. 29.