Panel moves to end NASA’s reliance on Russia to reach space station [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Panel moves to end NASA’s reliance on Russia to reach space station
Posted on May 9, 2014 | By Stewart Powell

Amid mounting tensions over the Ukraine, the House Appropriations Committee has unanimously adopted a spending blueprint to hasten the end of America’s reliance on Russia to ferry NASA astronauts to the orbiting space station.

The powerful panel on Thursday approved and sent to the House a proposed $17.9 billion spending package for the nation’s space agency. The measure included $785 million for commercial spaceflight next year — an $89 million increase over last year.

President Barack Obama had asked Congress for even more — $858 million — to help speed the day, now expected no earlier than 2017, when U.S. commercial spacecraft can take over taxi duties from Russia’s venerable Soyuz.

“To rely solely on Vladimir Putin and the Russian government for astronauts’ safe travel to and from the ISS is simply unacceptable,” said Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the lawmaker in line to take over the panel with jurisdiction over NASA. “I hope to see American astronauts launching from American soil as soon as possible.”


Read more: http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2014/05/panel-moves-to-end-nasas-reliance-on-russia-to-reach-space-station/