{"id":8026,"date":"2014-06-04T17:45:33","date_gmt":"2014-06-04T21:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8026"},"modified":"2014-06-04T18:18:47","modified_gmt":"2014-06-04T22:18:47","slug":"sen-shelby-tries-to-cripple-nasa-commercial-crew-and-cargo-programs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8026","title":{"rendered":"Sen. Shelby tries to cripple NASA commercial crew and cargo programs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shameless Shelby is up to his usual tricks. Here’s the latest from the Space Access Society<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Space Access Society Political Action Alert 6\/4\/14
\n<\/a><\/strong>Short Fuse – Action Required By 9 am EDT Thursday 6\/5\/14<\/em>
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

In a subcommittee markup Tuesday, Senator Richard Shelby (R AL) inserted a requirement in the Senate NASA funding bill (formally known as the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations Bill, “Senate CJS Appropriation” for short) to provide, he stated, “greater accountability and budgetary transparency in the commercial crew program and future commercial cargo missions.”<\/p>\n

What this actually is, according to the story at\u00a0dothanfirst.com<\/a>, is this:<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Language requiring NASA to ensure that companies participating in the competition for the development of Commercial Crew launch vehicles be required to submit certified cost and pricing data (consistent with FAR requirements)<\/p>\n

\u00b7 Language requiring NASA to require certified cost and pricing data for the new round of contracts for future cargo resupply missions.<\/p>\n

In other words, it’s a poison pill for Commercial Crew and Commercial Cargo, two programs whose ongoing success threatens to undermine the justification for Senator Shelby’s missionless and massively wasteful hometown government mega-rocket project, SLS.<\/p>\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commercial Cargo and Commercial Crew already do a great deal of cost reporting, according to NASA’s own voluminous\u00a0Commercial Space Transportation Document Library<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Senator Shelby’s assertion that this is about ensuring “that taxpayers get the best value for their dollar” is patent nonsense – by NASA’s own study, one Commercial Cargo launcher development came in at a tenth or less NASA’s likely in-house costs, and Commercial Crew looks set to follow in saving massive amounts of taxpayer dollars, with one bidder talking about prices as low as $20m a seat (versus the current Russian price of over $70m a seat and climbing, not to mention retired Shuttle’s costs of well into the hundreds of millions per seat).<\/p>\n

These two programs are on course to save massive amounts of taxpayer dollars, unless Commercial Cargo & Crew end up crippled by deliberately destructive contracting requirements.<\/p>\n

To be absolutely clear, imposing full FARs cost-plus contract-type accounting controls on a commercial-style operation increases costs from 50% to 200%, depending on the size and details of the commercial operation.\u00a0\u00a0It will also delay the commercial operation for months or longer while the intensely detailed account-for-every-rivet procedures are being imposed.<\/p>\n

It also potentially reveals to both domestic and international rivals a great deal of competition-sensitive confidential commercial information.<\/p>\n

The FARs, section 15.403-1, \u201cProhibition on obtaining certified cost or pricing data\u201d, section (b), actually says “The contracting officer shall not require certified cost or pricing data…\u00a0\u00a0..when a commercial item is being acquired.”<\/p>\n

The Cargo Resupply Services (and until quite recently also Commercial Crew development) contracts are commercial fixed-price contracts, and as such FARs-type \u201ccertified cost and pricing data\u201d is none of the government\u2019s business. By law, and for good reason, the government isn\u2019t allowed to ask for that in such contracts.\u00a0\u00a0If there is to be any hope for both programs to continue as astonishingly efficient and affordable as they’ve been so far, they must continue on a commercial basis.<\/p>\n

If Senator Shelby’s narrowly targeted modification to the FARs stands, we modestly propose that it should be broadened to apply to all the other suppliers of Station services to NASA – the various international partners, and the high-cost Russian Soyuz providers in particular.<\/p>\n

What’s that you say, the Europeans and Japanese and Russians wouldn’t stand for NASA insisting on detailed tracking and cost-accounting for every rivet?<\/p>\n

OK, to be totally fair, let’s expand this requirement to all US government purchases of commercial supplies and services.\u00a0\u00a0You say it would cause a major part of the US economy to grind to a halt?<\/p>\n

Well, yes, it would.\u00a0\u00a0Which is apparently the point of targeting Commercial Cargo and Commercial Crew with it.\u00a0\u00a0Senator Shelby looks here to be engaging in straightforward sabotage against rivals of his massively wasteful home-town government rocket project.\u00a0\u00a0(Which, we might add, is\u00a0less than a model<\/a>\u00a0of efficiency and cost transparency.)<\/p>\n

We try to maintain a sense of humor about the ongoing waste of money that is SLS, as long as it doesn’t directly interfere with anything useful at NASA.\u00a0\u00a0This bill language is way across the line, and cannot be allowed to stand.<\/p>\n

Action<\/strong><\/p>\n

The full Senate Appropriations Committee marks this bill at 10 am tomorrow, Thursday. The time to contact your Senator (if any) on the Committee and raise (polite) hell is today, tonight, and tomorrow morning before 9 am EDT.<\/p>\n

If you’re from a state with a Senator on the following list, go to\u00a0this page<\/a>\u00a0for their phone number or web contact info, then give their office a call (preferred) or write them a message.\u00a0\u00a0If you call and get a live answer, ask for whoever handles NASA appropriations.\u00a0\u00a0If you then get that staffer live, tell them who you are and where you’re from, give them your message briefly and politely, answer any questions they have, thank them for their time, and ring off.\u00a0\u00a0If you get shunted to voicemail (as seems most likely, especially tonight) state the message, briefly and politely, then ring off.<\/p>\n

The gist of the message (put it in your own words if you can): “I’m [your name] from [your town in that senator’s state.] I’m calling about a problem with the Senate NASA Appropriation.\u00a0\u00a0NASA’s Commercial Crew and Commercial Cargo programs will be required to do full detailed cost-plus accounting despite being commercial programs.\u00a0\u00a0This will damage both programs by imposing delays and increasing costs.\u00a0\u00a0Please fix this in Thursday’s markup.\u00a0\u00a0Thanks for your time.”<\/p>\n

Committee Members<\/p>\n

Mikulski, Barbara A. (MD) , Chairman
\nLeahy, Patrick J. (VT)
\nHarkin, Tom (IA)
\nMurray, Patty (WA)
\nFeinstein, Dianne (CA)
\nDurbin, Richard J. (IL)
\nJohnson, Tim (SD)
\nLandrieu, Mary L. (LA)
\nReed, Jack (RI)
\nPryor, Mark L. (AR)
\nTester, Jon (MT)
\nUdall, Tom (NM)
\nShaheen, Jeanne (NH)
\nMerkley, Jeff (OR)
\nBegich, Mark (AK)
\nCoons, Christopher A. (DE)<\/p>\n

Shelby, Richard C. (AL), Ranking Member
\nCochran, Thad (MS)
\nMcConnell, Mitch (KY)
\nAlexander, Lamar (TN)
\nCollins, Susan M. (ME)
\nMurkowski, Lisa (AK)
\nGraham, Lindsey (SC)
\nKirk, Mark (IL)
\nCoats, Daniel (IN)
\nBlunt, Roy (MO)
\nMoran, Jerry (KS)
\nHoeven, John (ND)
\nJohanns, Mike (NE)
\nBoozman, John (AR)<\/p>\n

Space Access Society
\nhttp:\/\/www.space-access.org<\/a>
\nspace.access@mindspring.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shameless Shelby is up to his usual tricks. Here’s the latest from the Space Access Society: \u00a0Space Access Society Political Action Alert 6\/4\/14 Short Fuse – Action Required By 9 am EDT Thursday 6\/5\/14 In a subcommittee markup Tuesday, Senator Richard Shelby (R AL) inserted a requirement in the Senate NASA funding bill (formally known … Continue reading Sen. Shelby tries to cripple NASA commercial crew and cargo programs<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-activism","category-space-policy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-25s","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8091,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8091","url_meta":{"origin":8026,"position":0},"title":"Space Access Society: Update on Shelby’s commercial cargo\/crew poison pill","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest alert from the Space Access Society concerning Sen. Shelby's attempt to undermine NASA's commercial crew and cargo programs: Space Access Society 6\/11\/14 Followup to Space Access Society Political Action Alert 6\/4\/14 and Space Access Society 6\/5\/14 Followup There's been some additional action in the fight over the future\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Space Policy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/v6RiFxucJn8\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8034,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8034","url_meta":{"origin":8026,"position":1},"title":"Space Access Society follow-up to latest political action alert","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The Space Access Society sends a follow-up to yesterday's post on Senator Shelby's shenanigans: Space Access Society 6\/5\/14 Followup to Space Access Society Political Action Alert 6\/4\/14 The full Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the FY15 CJS Appropriations bill (funding among other agencies NASA) took place this morning, with no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Activism"","block_context":{"text":"Activism","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7587,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7587","url_meta":{"origin":8026,"position":2},"title":"Space policy roundup – May.1.14 [Update]","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 1, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Today's selection of space policy\/politics related posts. NASA: Senate Appropriations chairwoman \u201cdeeply troubled\u201d by proposed NASA budget - Space Politics CJS Hearing: FY15 NASA Budget -\u00a0Senate Appropriations Committee\u00a0- video U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby rips NASA over Space Launch System funding - Huntsville Times\u00a0- With no US vehicle available\u00a0to get astronauts\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Space Policy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8107,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8107","url_meta":{"origin":8026,"position":3},"title":"Update on Shelby’s effort to kill NASA commercial cargo & crew","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"A couple of items to follow up on the earlier posts (see here and here) about Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) to cripple NASA's commercial cargo and crew program. Here is an article by Rand Simberg explaining the issue in detail:\u00a0Congress Threatens To Anchor Private Spaceflight With Extra Costs: A rent-seeking\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Activism"","block_context":{"text":"Activism","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1111,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=1111","url_meta":{"origin":8026,"position":4},"title":"Space Policy: Budgets for NASA for this year and next","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 13, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest on the NASA budget: Congress Keeps Working on Budgets: Senate CR, House Budget Resolution Introduced - spacepolicyonline.com Mikulski, Shelby Introduce Bipartisan FY2013 CR, Mixed News for NASA and NOAA - spacepolicyonline.com Proposed Senate Bill Restores $223 million to NASA's Planetary Science Division - The Planetary Society Senate offers\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Space Policy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3490,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3490","url_meta":{"origin":8026,"position":5},"title":"Space policy roundup – July.18.13 [Update 2]","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Committees in the House and Senate continue working on legislation that includes funding for NASA in the 2014 Federal government's fiscal year , which theoretically should start on October 1st. The budgets in the two chambers different considerably and will have to be reconciled at some point. However, time is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space Policy"","block_context":{"text":"Space Policy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8026"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8030,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8026\/revisions\/8030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}