AAS Public Policy Blog

The 112th Senate Committee on Appropriations has announced this session’s subcommittee assignments.

For the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and  Science the chairman remains Sen. Barbara Miksulski (MD) and the ranking Republican member is Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX).  On the Defense Subcommitte, both Sen. Daniel Inouye (HI) and Sen. Thad Cochran (MS) remain as the chairman and the ranking Republican member, respectively.  With the retirement of Sen. Bryon Dorgan (ND), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) becomes chairman of the Energy and Water Development Subcommittee.  Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN) is the ranking Republican member.

The House Science and Technology Committee has been renamed the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.  The committee members are:

Republican Members (18)	Democrat Members (17)
Ralph M. Hall (Chairman), Texas	Eddie Bernice Johnson, Texas
F. James Sensenbrenner, Wisconsin	Jerry F. Costello, Illinois
Lamar S. Smith, Texas	Lynn Woolsey, California
Dana Rohrabacher, California	Zoe Lofgren, California
Roscoe G. Bartlett, Maryland	David Wu, Oregon
Frank D. Lucas, Oklahoma	Brad Miller, North Carolina
Judy Biggert, Illinois	Daniel Lipinski, Illinois
W. Todd Akin, Missouri	Gabrielle Giffords, Arizona
Randy Neugebauer, Texas	Donna Edwards, Maryland
Michael T. McCaul, Texas	Marcia L. Fudge, Ohio
Paul Broun, Georgia	Ben Ray Lujan, New Mexico
Sandy Adams, Florida	Paul Tonko, New York
Mo Brooks, Alabama	Jerry McNerney, California
Chuck Fleischmann, Tennessee	John Sarbanes, Maryland
Andy Harris, M.D., Maryland	Terri Sewell, Alabama
Steven Palazzo, Mississippi	Frederica Wilson, Florida
Benjamin Quayle, Arizona	Hansen Clarke, Michigan
Scott Rigell, Virginia

The members of the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics are:

Republican Members (9)	Democrat Members (6)
Steven Palazzo, MS, Chairman	Gabrielle Giffords, AZ,
F. James Sensenbrenner, WI	Jerry F. Costello, IL
Lamar S. Smith, TX	David Wu, OR
Dana Rohrabacher, CA	Donna Edwards, MD
Frank D. Lucas, OK	Marcia L. Fudge, OH
W. Todd Akin, MO	Terri Sewell, AL
Michael T. McCaul, TX	Frederica Wilson, FL
Sandy Adams, FL
Mo Brooks, AL
Scott Rigell, VA

Jerry Costello (D-IL) will serve as the Acting Ranking Member during Giffords’ absence.

The Senate has agreed to the ratio of Democrats and Republicans for committee assignments.  The members of science related committees are listed below and at AAAS.

Seven Republicans join the Senate Appropriations Committee: Lindsey Graham (SC), Roy Blunt (MO), Dan Coats (IN), James Hoeven (ND), Ron Johnson (WI), Mark Kirk (Il), and Jerry Moran (KS). Byron Dorgan (D-ND) retired and Arlen Specter (D-PA) was defeated in the primaries. Both were in the committee during the 111th congress. The new committee ratio is 16 Democrats and 14 Republicans.

Retired Senator Evan Bayh (D-ID) and Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Chris Coons (D-DE), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Bill Nelson (D-FL) and John Thune (R-SD) have left the Senate Armed Services Committee. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-RI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kristin Gillibrand (D-NY), Joe Manchin (R-WV), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) join the committee. The new committee ratio is 14 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee lost three retirees, Sam Brownback (R-KS), Byron Dorgan (D-ND), and George LeMieux (R-FL), in addition to Mike Johanns (R-NB), and David Vittter (R-LA). They gain five Republicans Kelly Ayotte (NH), Roy Blunt (MO), John Boozman (AR), Marco Rubio (FL), and Pat Toomey (PA). The new committee ratio is 13 Democrats and 12 Republicans.

Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) is staying on as the Ranking Member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and is joined by Dan Coats (R-IN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Al Franken (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mike Lee (R-UT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Rob Portman (R-OH). Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Jim Bunning (R-KY), and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) retired. Robert Bennet (R-UT) and Blanche Lincoln (R-AR) are not returning after defeats in the election. John McCain (R-AZ), Robert Menendez (R-NJ), and Jeff Sessions (R-AL) return to the Senate, but are no longer part of the committee. The new committee ratio is 12 Democrats and 10 Republicans.

John Boozman (R-AR), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), Mike Johanns (R-NE), and Jeff Session (R-AL) are newcomers to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Two retireees Chris Bond (R-MO) and George Voinovich (R-OH), Arlen Specter (D-PA) who lost his primary, and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) left the committee. The new committee ratio is 10 Democrats and 8 Republicans.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions says goodbye to Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Judd Greg (R-NH), a retiree. Richard Blumenthal (D-RI), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) join the committee. The new committee ratio are 12 Democrats and 10 Republicans.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs lost Chris Coons (D-DE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and the retired George Voinovich (R-OH). They gain Mark Begich (D-AK), Ron Johnson (R-WI), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Rob Portman, (R-OH). The Committee ratio remains 9 Democrats to 8 Republicans.

The 217th AAS Meeting in Seattle, Washington kicks off today.  The Opening Reception begins at 7 pm in the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Hotel.

Policy related events are:

Monday, 10 January 2011:

CSWA: What Can Men Do to Help Women Succeed in Astronomy?, 12:45pm – 1:45pm, Ballroom 6

NSF Town Hall, 12:45pm – 1:45pm, Ballroom 6

IAU Town Hall, 5:30pm – 6:30pm, Ballroom 6

JWST Town Hall, 6:30pm – 8:30pm, Ballroom 6

Tuesday, 11 January 2011:

AAS Sustainability Committee, 11:30am – 2:00pm, Room 607

Decadal Survey Town Hall, 12:45pm – 1:45pm, Ballroom 6A

Wednesday, 12 January 2011:

NASA Town Hall, 12:45pm – 1:45pm, Ballroom 6C

NOAO Town Hall, 12:45pm – 1:45pm, Ballroom 6A

Splinter Meeting:  NASA Astrophysics Research Program Discussion, 2:00pm – 3:30pm, Room 30

Follow AAS Policy on twitter @AASCAPP or via the AAS John Bahcall Public Policy Fellow @AASBethany_J .

On Nov. 10, NASA Administrator, Charles Bolden, released the findings of the Independent Comprehensive Review Panel on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).  Sen. Barbra Mikulski called for the independent review, which was led by John Casani from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The report stated that the mission is technologically sound and the cost growth is a result of mismanagement.

The successor to the Hubble Space Telescope will cost an extra $1.5 billion and is now predicted to launch in September 2015, over a year later than the original date of June 2014.  An extra $250 million per year in 2011 and 2012 is needed in order to make the 2015 launch date.

The management of JWST has moved to NASA Headquarters.  Richard Howard, NASA’s deputy chief technologist, will head the new division for JWST.  Howard’s first order of business will be making a new budget for JWST by Feb. 2011.

The NASA Advisory Committee for Astrophysics Subcommittee (NAC APS) met on December 22 to discuss JWST.  All top management for JWST has been replaced.  JWST has been completely taken off the books in the Astrophysics (APS) Division and is now directly reporting to the Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and NASA Administration.  The APS budget will be smaller without JWST.  JWST over runs may be shared broadly in SMD. No word yet on the $5 million needed in FY2011 and FY2012.  The “budget scrubbing” will not have happened before the JWST town hall at the 217th AAS Meeting in Seattle.

President of the AAS, Debra Elmegreen, wrote in an op-ed in Space News saying, “What’s at stake here are not just the missions the division is already pursuing (limited already due to the cost of JWST) but the next decade’s priority activities and the U.S. leadership in astrophysics.”  JWST was about 40% of the NASA Astrophysics Division budget, which may prevent developments on the missions recommended but the Astro2010 Decadal Survey.  The decade may be halfway over before the first large-scale space based recommendation, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), goes into development.

The JWST Town Hall at the 17th AAS Meeting in Seattle will be at 6:30-8:30pm in Ballroom 6E of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center.

Congresswoman, Gabby Giffords, of the 8th District of Arizona was shot this morning at a Safeway in Tucson, AZ.  She was hosting an event “Congress on your Corner,” which was advertised on her congressional website.

Six people are dead and 12 others are wounded including the Arizona based staff of Rep. Giffords.

Giffords was shot through the head.  Doctors at University Medical Center in Tucson, Arizona are optimistic about a recovery.

President Obama, Speaker of the House John Boehner, and Sara Palin have commented on the tragedy.  NASA Administrator Charles Bolden has also released a statement,

“We at NASA are deeply shocked and saddened by the senseless shooting of Representative Giffords and others at Saturday’s public event in Tucson. As a long-time supporter of NASA, Representative Giffords not only has made lasting contributions to our country, but is a strong advocate for the nation’s space program and a member of the NASA family. She also is a personal friend with whom I have had the great honor of working. We at NASA mourn this tragedy and our thoughts and prayers go out to Congresswoman Giffords, her husband Mark Kelly, their family, and the families and friends of all who perished or were injured in this terrible tragedy.”

Tucson, Arizona is a hub for astronomy research.  Alan Boyle, blogger at Cosmic Blog, has written an article on Rep .Gifford’s impact on science and astronomy.  The University of Arizona in Tucson is home to the Steward Observatory which has access to a wide range observational capabilities including the Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), Magellan, MMT, 90″, 61″, 60″, & 1.8m VATT telescopes. Additionally, the 12m radio telescope on Kitt Peak and the 10m Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope on Mt. Graham are available for use by the scientists and students of the Observatory.

The 217th AAS Meeting in Seattle is just beginning.  Many registered participants are from the University of Arizona and/or Steward Observatory.

We will be following the recovery of Rep. Giffords.  Our hearts go out to her husband, NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, and family.

Continuing Resolution vs. Omnibus

Today the Senate voted 79-16 approving a continuing resolution to fund the government until March 4, 2011.

Erik Wasson writes in The Hill,

“The measure represents a major victory for Republicans who successfully forced Reid to abandon a plan to pass an omnibus 2011 appropriations bill late last week. The GOP now will have a chance to make deep cuts to 2011 spending starting in March if the resolution is enacted as expected.  The omnibus, which wrapped all 12 appropriations bills into a 1,924-page measure, would have provided $19 billion in additional government funding compared to 2010 spending levels.”

The budget for FY 2011 was due on October 1, 2010.  Without an official budget, Congress has passed three continuing resolutions (CR) to keep the government agencies running at FY 2010 funding levels from October 1 to December 21, 2010.

On December 8 the House passed H.R. 3082, the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 — a CR that would fund U.S. government agencies through Sept. 30, 2011.

The Senate presented amendments to H.R. 3082 which allows for continuous normal operations through March 4, 2011 with funding continuing at FY2010 levels for most programs.  In total, the CR would provide funding at a rate approximately $1.16 billion over the FY 2010 level.  A summary of the amendments can be found at the Senate Appropriations Committee website.

What does this mean for science and astronomy?

Amy Svitak writes in Space News,

“Unlike the House bill, H.R. 3082, the Senate amendment does not weigh-in on NASA, which could mean the agency will be forced to operate in the coming months at spending rates proportional to the $18.72 appropriated for all of 2010. In addition, NASA would be prohibited from initiating new programs, and could be required to continue spending about $200 million per month on the Moon-bound Constellation program U.S. President Barack Obama sought to abandon in the $19 billion budget blueprint for 2011 that the White House sent lawmakers in February.

H.R. 3082, a continuing resolution that would fund U.S. government agencies through Sept. 30, provides an additional $186 million for NASA over 2010 levels and allows the agency to terminate Constellation and initiate new programs.”

Welcome back to the American Astronomical Society Policy Blog.  After a long hiatus I hope you will renew your interest in policy as it relates to astronomy — especially if your research is funded by a NASA, NSF, or other government grant.

To celebrate the American holiday Halloween, I decided to share with you a topic that may be scary to many astronomers and astrophysicists.

Jon Morse, the  NASA Astrophysics Division Director, presented at a recent Astronomy and Astrophysics Advisory Committee meeting the future of astrophysics at NASA.

In 2010 there are enough NASA astrophysics instruments to cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum.  However, these instruments will not operate forever.  In fact, WMAP has already been decommissioned.

The NASA Astrophysics Division lists only 7 instruments currently in development, including JWST.  Is this common or is there usually more or less?  To answer these questions I used data from the NASA Astrophysics Division and from the post by Cosmic Variance.  I plotted a histogram of launch dates from 1990 to 2020.  (Making histograms in Excel 2008 for Mac is nearly impossible. Please comment if you know a better way, preferably free open source.)

There is a decline in the number of instrument launches from 1990 to 2020.  The data include the launch dates of the 7 instruments in development, which does appear to be a small number compared to previous years.  In the Era of Big Science, this trend may continue because it seems to take more time and more money to create new science.

In FY2010 the budget for the NASA Astrophysics Program was $1,103.9 million.  JWST takes up 40% of the total budget at $440.3 million.  Many new projects cannot get off the ground (literally) until the launch of JWST.   The current launch date for JWST is set for 2014.  The JWST Test Assessment Team  Report was charged with reviewing integrating and testing.  The report states that the time for testing can be shortened by 2 to 6 months without incurring unnecessary risk.

Senator Mikulski called for an independent report assessing the costs of JWST.  The Independent Comprehensive Review Panel (ICRP), a.k.a. Casani Report, was scheduled to complete their report on October 1. The report from the NASA Astrophysics Subcommittee says, “The ICRP will provide an assessment of the JWST launch date, schedule, funding profile, and reserves.”

The future looks sparse.  In 2016 there will be only 9 instruments in operation.

Notice the only instrument predicted to be in formulation in 2016  is the Astro2010 Decadal Survey New Worlds, New Horizons top ranked large-scale space-based recommendation WFIRST.  GEMS and Astro-H may also be in formulation according to the timeline.  Its formulation and development is delayed because JWST is taking up 40% of the budget leaving no spending power for any other large-scale projects.  WFIRST has three science goals: exoplanets, survey, and dark energy.  Discovering the nature of dark energy is also the goal of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Euclid mission.  The NASA Science Advisory Committee recommended to keep the option open in partnering with the ESA Euclid mission, but continue with the recommendations of the Decadal Survey.

With two big projects in the pipeline, how do we restore the observational gaps in the electromagnetic spectrum?  What about the explorer missions which were ranked second in the Decadal Survey?  Unfortunately, there has not yet been much talk about these kind of missions.

On October 19 there was a Call for Letters of Application for Membership on the Science Definition Team (SDT) for the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST).  The charter for the WFIRST SDT will be posted to http://wfirst.gsfc.nasa.gov/ in early November 2010.

For the timeline of astrophysics missions and how the “Golden Age” of astrophysics is ending check out the post by Cosmic Variance.