With the final conflict involving the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) sequester budget cuts appearing to be resolved, lawmakers will turn their attention this week to issues involving freight transportation and space navigation.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a “Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation” on Wednesday. The hearing, titled “Coordinating Federal Efforts to Improve Freight Transportation,” will “examine what efforts the Department of Transportation and the Army Corps of Engineers have made to coordinate freight transportation policy, and what challenges exist for greater coordination among federal departments and agencies,” according to officials committee.

The panel will also hold a hearing on Thursday on the FAA’s progress on implementing safety provisions that were included in the $63 billion funding bill that was passed for the agency last year.

A bipartisan group of nine lawmakers has introduced legislation that would require the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to plan a return to the moon by 2022.

Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.) and eight of his House colleagues introduced the bill on Tuesday, H.R. 1446, which also calls on NASA to develop a "sustained human presence on the moon."

The aerospace lobby on Thursday warned that the spending cuts from sequestration are likely to devastate not only the defense industry, but the civilian space program as well.

A recent report released Thursday by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) argues the automatic $500 billion budget cut slated for the Pentagon under sequestration would have a ripple effect on agencies like the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

The close link between the military and the space sector means that a trip over the "fiscal cliff" in January would almost certainly take both civilian space agencies with them, AIA president Marion Blakey said. 

Sequestration, according to Blakey, is "the biggest single threat to our space programs’ continued success are arbitrary and capricious budget cuts.”

President Obama on Tuesday signed into law legislation that gives Apollo-era astronauts full ownership of artifacts they kept from the missions they flew.

The bill was approved by the House last week by voice vote, and approved by unanimous consent by the Senate early Saturday morning.

President Obama said on Monday he was "deeply saddened" to hear about the death of the first female astronaut.

Obama released a statement in response to news that Sally Ride, the first female astronaut, died.

"Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Sally Ride," Obama said in a statement.  "As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model.  She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars and later fought tirelessly to help them get there by advocating for a greater focus on science and math in our schools.  Sally’s life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sally’s family and friends."

Ride died from pancreatic cancer in La Jolla, Calif. She had fought the disease for 17 months.

The SpaceX Dragon successfully docked with the International Space Station on Friday morning, the first commercial spacecraft to ever do so.

"Looks like we caught a Dragon by the tail." - Astronaut Don Pettit after capturing @SpaceX Dragon capsule with ISS robotic arm.

— NASA Kennedy / KSC (@NASAKennedy) May 25, 2012

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tweeted out updates Thursday on the first-ever attempt by a private spacecraft to dock with the International Space Station. On Thursday, as the unmanned SpaceX Dragon became visible from the space station for the first time, NASA and SpaceX shared video and photos of the historic event.

The @SpaceX #Dragon capsule passed directly below the #ISS at a distance of 2.5km, fulfilling all demonstration objectives for the day.

— NASA (@NASA) May 24, 2012

President Obama called Elon Musk, the founder of the pioneering private space transport company SpaceX, on Wednesday night to congratulate him on a successful first-ever commercial rocket launch.

Musk almost did not take the president's call. He tweeted that he thought the blocked number was a telemarketer.

The President just called to say congrats. Caller ID was blocked, so at first I thought it was a telemarketer :)

— Elon Musk ( @elonmusk ) May 23, 2012

Your morning transportation speed-read:

A small plane was intercepted for violating President Obama’s airspace in California.

California would have to spend $3.5 million per day on a proposed high-speed rail to beat a deadline for using federal funds.

The Space Shuttle Enterprise has been removed from the 747 it was flown to New York on top of.

A people-mover train at Miami International Airport derailed.

The retiring NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise is flying Friday from Washington to New York, a week after another space shuttle's trip to D.C. captivated officials in the capital city. 

The agency is shuttling the Enterprise, which had been housed as the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in northern Virginia, to New York's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. Enterprise was replaced at Dulles by the Space Shuttle Discovery, which was flown from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week.

On that trip, the Discovery flew low atop a 747 airplane over D.C. landmarks. NASA is planning a similar approach for the Enterprise in New York, providing another opportunity for shuttle watchers to view the ship one last time.

NASA had been planning to fly the Enterprise to New York on Wednesday, but the trip was postponed by bad weather in the Washington area. 

NASA has said Enterprise will be placed onto a tugboat upon its arrival in New York and carried up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in June.

NASA is planning to fly its retiring space shuttle Enterprise from Washington to New York on Wednesday, officials said Monday.

The agency's flight of it space shuttle Discovery from the Kennedy Space Center to the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport in northern Virginia captivated officials in Washington last week.

The agency is now planning to fly the shuttle Discovery is replacing, Enterprise, to New York to be housed at Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, providing another opportunity for shuttle watchers to view one of the vehicles atop a 747 airplane.

NASA said Monday that Enterprise's flight plan is dependent on a weather briefing Tuedsay morning. The agency said the shuttle will be flown at a low altitude over New York as Discovery was over Washington to allow residents to get better view.

NASA said Enterprise will be placed in onto a tugboat upon its arrival in New York and carried up the Hudson River to the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in June.

The next step in House and Senate negotiations over a new multi-year federal highway bill — naming members of a conference committee — could happen as early as this week.

It remains to be seen, however, if lawmakers actually start talking now. The current funding for transportation does not expire until June 30, and the extension that was passed by the House last week by runs until Sept. 30.

The idea is to provide a lot of time for what are expected to be contentious negotiations. The extension approved by the House includes approval of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, which will likely not survive the conference.

A day after the Space Shuttle Discovery shuttle captivated Washington, D.C., in its final flight, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Charles Bolden said the event marked the "next era of exploration" for the agency.

A rare sight over the Capitol on Tuesday morning brought Congress together in a bipartisan desire to run outside or open a window.

NASA sent the retired Space Shuttle Discovery on a scenic flight low in the sky over Washington, strapped atop the space agency's custom Boeing 747.

NASA promoted the use of the Twitter hashtag #spottheshuttle for second-by-second updates on the fly-by, and several legislators made use of it Tuesday morning as the shuttle flew over the Capitol, the White House, and many of the monuments on the National Mall in Washington.

Political Washington was captivated Tuesday by the space shuttle Discovery's flight over the city. 

Your morning transportation speed-read:

The NASA Space Shuttle Discovery is flying over Washington Tuesday on its way to a museum at Dulles International Airport.

A mistake by an Air Canada pilot on a trans-Atlantic flight from Toronto caused injuries.

A Virgin Atlantic Airways flight en route to Florida made an emergency landing in London.

Commuter railways are increasing their use of quiet cars.

Residents and visitors of Washington, D.C., might see an unfamiliar sight in the sky next Tuesday: a space shuttle.

NASA announced Monday that the Space Shuttle Discovery will fly approximately 1,500 feet above various parts of the nation's capital on April 17. As a point of reference, the Washington Monument is about 555 feet tall.

While the exact route is still to be determined, the shuttle — strapped atop the space agency's custom Boeing 747 — should fly over the National Mall, National Harbor and Reagan National Airport. The shuttle will end its journey at Dulles International Airport, where it will be transferred to the Smithsonian's nearby Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Center.

With NASA having completed its final space shuttle flight, a Senate committee will examine the future of human space exploration this week.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee will hold a hearing Thursday to examine the next steps for NASA, which awarded its four retiring shuttles to museums earlier this year.

Lawmakers like Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R), whose state has a large NASA presence centered around its Cape Canaveral space center, have been critical of the Obama administration for not making post-space shuttle plans clear before the end of the program.

Twenty-five years after their visit to the White House was cancelled, the Chicago Bears will get to meet the president.

Texas Rep. Ted Poe (R) is calling for NASA to re-evaluate its plans to give a retired space shuttle to New York instead of Houston.

Poe, whose district borders Houston, said that the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in Manhattan won the rights to house the Space Shuttle Enterprise in part because it planned to display the shuttle on the Hudson River.

But plans now call for the shuttle to be displayed in a museum to be built in a parking lot, which Poe said was a big enough change to warrant a reconsideration of Enterprise's final destination.

"As far as I'm concerned, it won't be final until it's sitting up there on the Hudson River where it's supposed to finally be," Poe, a four-term congressman, said this week in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.

NASA unveiled on Wednesday the designs for its latest rocket, the successor to the retired space shuttle.

The rocket, called the Space Launch System, will rely on a liquid hydrogen and oxygen fuel system, and NASA hopes it will one day take astronauts to Mars.

Its first flight is planned for 2017.

The Obama administration has left "American astronauts with no alternative but to hitchhike into space," Gov. Perry said.

Several politicians used Twitter to mark the landing of the last space shuttle on Thursday morning.

The shuttle Atlantis, NASA's 135th shuttle voyage, touched down at 5:57 a.m. EDT at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA @nasahqphoto tweeted a photo of the historic landing, saying, "Atlantis touches down at Kennedy Space Center Check it out!! http://flic.kr/p/a5FASB"

The White House tweeted congratulations, as did the vice president's office.

Several members of Congress took to the Twitterverse to express mixed emotions about the past and future of space exploration.

Americans need to know what the next steps for NASA will be after the launch of the final space shuttle flight, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) said in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday.

Atlantis is set to embark on its final mission Friday.

Rubio, a freshman many Republicans hope will be the party's vice presidential nominee in 2012, lauded the space program but said its future must be clarified.

"When this final shuttle mission draws to a close, many Americans will be startled by the realization that we don't have an answer to the question: What's next for NASA?," Rubio said. "NASA has no answer, the administration has no answer, and as we transition to the next generation of space exploration, Florida's aerospace workers are left with only questions about their future."

The House Appropriations Committee Science subpanel voted Thursday to cut funding for the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, calling the project "billions of dollars over budget and plagued by poor management."

The decision to terminate funding for the James Webb Space Telescope, which would still need to garner approval from the full committee, House and Senate, is part of a $1.6 billion cut in NASA's funding approved by the subcommittee.

“This legislation includes funding for some of the most critical aspects of government — the protection of our people here at home, the competitiveness of our businesses and industries, and the scientific research that will help America continue to lead the world in innovation,” House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) said.

"However, given this time of fiscal crisis, it is also important that Congress make tough decisions to cut programs where necessary to give priority to programs with broad national reach that have the most benefit to the American people."

The Webb telescope was designed to look deeper into space than the Hubble, but its launch date has been pushed back repeatedly — to 2018 at the earliest. The move drew opposition from some Democrats, who have called it the latest blow to the nation's space program.

“Days before NASA embarks on its final space shuttle mission, we can ill-afford to jeopardize both the current and future leadership our country has in space exploration and observation," said Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) in a statement voicing strong opposition to the cuts.

Astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), announced Tuesday he would retire Oct. 1. 

Kelly, a captain in both NASA and the Navy, has been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate in Arizona next year. Media reports throughout the state have said Kelly would be the leading choice for Democrats if Giffords is unable to run for retiring Sen. Jon Kyl’s (R-Ariz.) seat.

The space shuttle commander has said nothing to spark this talk, but his retirement announcement will likely increase the speculation.

The New Jersey native lives in Houston, where he conducted his NASA training, but that is unlikely to be a factor if he makes a bid. Arizona is no stranger to being represented by lawmakers who aren’t natives. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) moved there after he retired from the Navy and was elected to the House and then the Senate.

Read more...

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is writing a memoir with her husband, astronaut and Navy Capt. Mark Kelly.

Currently untitled, the memoir will be published by Scribner at a yet-to-be-determined date.

According to Scribner, the book will be about Giffords's and Kelly's life together, starting from their courtship through Giffords's time in politics so far.
 
It will include an account of the Arizona shooting rampage of Jan. 8, 2011, where Giffords suffered a gunshot wound to the head, as well as the aftermath of the shooting and Giffords's recovery.

Astronaut Mark Kelly, a captain in both NASA and the Navy, recently piloted the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour.

NASA announced on Tuesday that it will develop a new spacecraft that can bring humans into deep space, basing the designs off the Orion capsule, the spacecraft originally slated to take astronauts back to the moon.

The new spacecraft will be designed by defense contracting giant Lockheed Martin, and is one of the surviving parts of the Constellation space program, which President Obama canceled last year after the program fell behind schedule and went over budget.

"We are committed to human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and look forward to developing the next generation of systems to take us there," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said in a news release.

President Obama was not able to watch the rescheduled launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday morning.
 
Obama was en route to Memphis, Tenn., to tour damage from flooding there and speak at a high-school graduation when the shuttle lifted off just before 9 a.m., Carney told reporters.
 
"I think we were on Marine One," Carney said. "We did not watch it."

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) is in attendance as space shuttle carrying her husband lifts off for final mission.

The launch of the penultimate space shuttle mission has been put off again, this time until May 16, NASA said Friday.

The space shuttle Endeavour, which will be commanded by Mark Kelly, the husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), had been scheduled to take off last Friday. But the launch was scuttled by mechanical problems NASA said Friday could not be fixed until May 16.

"NASA managers met Friday afternoon and determined space shuttle Endeavour will launch no earlier than Monday, May 16 at 8:56 a.m. EDT," the agency said in a statement. "This weekend, technicians will continue to repair and retest electrical circuitry that caused a postponement of Endeavour’s April 29 launch attempt."

Rep. Giffords (D-Ariz.) is likely to attend. "That's the plan," her office said.

No new launch date has been set for the last flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Obama and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords were scheduled to attend; delay was blamed on an equipment problem.

The penultimate NASA space shuttle flight is set for takeoff Friday, with President Obama and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in attendance.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords flew from Houston to Cape Canaveral to watch the final launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Doctors said Rep. Gabrielle Giffords may attend Friday’s launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, which her husband will command.

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, whose husband will be on board, is also expected to attend, though she likely won't appear publicly.

President Obama said in an interview with a Houston television station that the city was not snubbed for a retired space shuttle because of politics.

The Obama administration has been sharply criticized by Texas Republicans and Democrats for NASA's decision to give four retiring shuttles to New York, the Washington, D.C. area, Los Angeles and Florida.
 
Speaking with WFAA-TV of Dallas as part of a series of local interviews to tout his deficit-reduction plan, Obama said the idea that the awards were made to politically important states was "wrong."
 
"We had nothing to do with it," Obama said of the decision, which was made by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "The White House had nothing to do it. There was a whole commission, there was a whole process. That's how the decision was made."