House committees will be marking up bills that affect NASA this week:

• Showdown on NASA’s future expected this week  – Florida Today
• Edwards introduces alternative NASA authorization bill – Space Politics
• House Democrats Preparing Their Own NASA Authorization Bill – SpaceNews.com
• The Future of Civil Space Exploration – YouTube – Speech by Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) on July 8th on NASA policy

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Here is a long table of papers submitted to the National Academies Committee on Human Spaceflight giving outside views on human spaceflight policy. The deadline for paper submission is tonight.

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Other space policy related items:

• A Conversation With Buzz Aldrin Regarding His Vision For Space Exploration – Forbes
• Why there is not enough space in the Final Frontier – Russia & India Report
• Is NASA Being Too Protective of Mars? Two astrobiologists think we could send more probes to Mars if we didn’t spend time and money sterilizing them – IEEE Spectrum

Update: The House Appropriations Committee with jurisdiction over NASA released its draft bill today. It cuts NASA funding by about a billion dollars to $16.6B. However, it nevertheless specifically instructs NASA to fund the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft at specific levels and even dictates what total payload mass the SLS must achieve. Never mind that there will be no money for payloads for it. I don’t see anything dealing directly with commercial crew and cargo.

• Appropriations Committee Releases the Fiscal Year 2014 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill | Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
• BILLS-113HR-SC-AP-FY2014-CJS-Subcommittee Draft (pdf) – see NASA section on p. 57

From the Committee page:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – NASA is funded at $16.6 billion in the bill, a decrease of $928 million below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level and $1.1 billion below the President’s request. This funding includes:

• $3.6 billion for Exploration – $202 million below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level. This includes funding to keep NASA on schedule for upcoming Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and Space Launch System flight program milestones.
• $4.8 billion for NASA Science programs – $266 million below the fiscal year 2013 enacted level. This includes funding above the President’s request for planetary science to ensure the continuation of critical research and development programs.

Update 2:  Jeff Foust provides a table showing the differences between the House allocations for different NASA programs and the Administration’s requests: House appropriators propose $16.6 billion for NASA – Space Politics

Various space policy related items:

• What NASA wants in an authorization bill – Space Politics
• House committees to take up NASA authorization, appropriations bills this week – Space Politics
• House Subcommittee Markups of NASA Authorization and Appropriations Bills Next Week – spacepolicyonline.com
• Space Policy Events for the Week of July 8-12, 2013 – spacepolicyonline.com
• Weather Forecasting Improvement Bill Scheduled for Markup July 9 – spacepolicyonline.com
• Russian space industry disastrously ill – ITAR-TASS
• ISRO sets target of twelve missions in 2013-14 – Times of India/SpaceNews.com

Update: More items:

Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD), ranking member of the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee,  gave a speech on NASA policy. Here’s a sampling of tweeter posts:

• Jeff Foust (jeff_foust) on Twitter
  • Edwards reiterating previous concerns about need for balanced portfolio and adequate funding for NASA.
  • Edwards: time to commit to goal of a human mission to Mars, something the public will support.
  • Edwards is pushing for a human mission to Mars by 2030, significantly more aggressive than Obama Administration’s current goals.
  • Edwards: neither the President nor Congress should determine what the interim destinations should be towards Mars; that’s up to NASA.
  • Edwards: will release version of 2013 NASA authorization act later today to outline this approach to going to Mars.
  • Asked Edwards if she feared NASA policy was becoming more partisan; she said she though “sadly” it already had in recent years.
  • After her talk, she said she’s had some discussions with the Senate on the general outlines of an authorization bill.
• Marcia Smith (SpcPlcyOnline) on Twitter
  • Edwards: how do we “hook” the next generation on space exploration? NASA should remain a multi-mission agency.
  • Edwards: need balanced, adequately funded NASA portfolio. Achieveable timelines with safety as priority.
  • Edwards: have to match the enthusiasm that was demostrated by the huge number of astronaut applicants.
  • Edwards: need “21st century space innovation agenda” – get used to hearing that phrase.
  • Edwards wants to get to Mars by 2030. Lists new space techs that are needed, including nuclear propulsion. “We have a lot of work to do.”
  • Edwards keeps saying “manned” mission. How anachronistic. She needs to get up to date. It’s a HUMAN mission to Mars.
  • Edwards wants to set NASA vision and roadmap in 2013 NASA auth act that she plans to release 2day.
  • Not sure what the pt of this really is. Mars as ultimate dest for human spflt is already well accepted. Issue is intermediate steps.

Maria Smith later posted this on her blog: Edwards To Release Democratic Version of 2013 NASA Authotization Bill Today – Spacepolicyonline.com

A paper on space policies around the world:

• An Analysis of the Space Policies of the Major Space Faring Nations and Selected Emerging Space Faring Nations – Graham Gibbs – spacepolicyonline.com (pdf)
• Redirect: “An Analysis of the Space Politics of the Major Space Faring Nations and Selected Emerging Space Faring Nations” –  Roger Launius’s Blog

Update 2: Edwards releases the House Democrats proposed NASA Authorization bill : Democratic 2013 NASA Authorization Bill Calls for $18.1 Billion, Commitment to Human Landing on Mars – spacepolicyonline.com

Bob Christy of zarya.info provides a detailed overview of the Chinese space program: What’s Next for China in Space? – spacepolicyonline.com

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Some other space policy related  items:

• NASA Reauthorization Offers Chance To Debate Space Program – Aviation Week
• NASA Wants More Spaceport Infrastructure Opened to Private Sector- SpaceNews.com
• G. Ryan Faith: A Strategy for NASA? – Huffington Post