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House to Hold Hearings on Space Launch Initiative Funding
By Stew Magnuson
Spacenews.com Staff Writer
posted: 05:03 pm ET
14 February 2001
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WASHINGTON The Chairman of the House Science Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee said he will hold hearings to make sure that NASA properly spends funds to develop the next generation of reusable launch vehicles WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the House Science Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee said he will hold hearings to make sure that NASA properly spends funds to develop the next generation of reusable launch vehicles. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California) said funds for the $4.5 billion, five-year Space Launch Initiative program should not be used for space shuttle upgrades. "For us to just eat the seed corn for projects that don't have any long-term benefit is ridiculous," Rohrabacher told Spacenews.com. The Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, which oversees NASA, will hold hearings on the matter in the "near future," Rohrabacher added. A congressional staff member, who asked not to be named, said there is growing concern that Space Launch Initiative funding will be claimed for shuttle upgrades. "Those funds are not there to be used to just maintain the status quo," Rohrabacher said. "Those funds were made available specifically to develop breakthrough technology that will dramatically change the status quo for launch services in the United States." Jim Cast, a NASA spokesman, said he had not heard of any plans to use Space Launch Initiative funding for the shuttle program.
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