(Space Politics) Posey and Kosmas introduce House version of spaceflight gap bill

By , Posted 03/11/10

Link: http://www.spacepolitics.com/2010/03/11/posey-and-kosmas-introduce-house-vers...

Yesterday Reps. Suzanne Kosmas (D-FL) and Bill Posey (R-FL) introduced the “Human Spaceflight Capability Assurance and Protection Act”, which they called the companion version to legislation introduced by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) last week. The text of the legislation isn’t posted yet, but the summary included in Kosmas’s press release covers the major issues in the Senate version, including supporting a shuttle extension, encouraging commercial crew vehicle development, support development of a heavy-lift launcher, and include authorization for NASA funding for 2011 and 2012.

“By continuing to fly the Shuttle until the next generation space vehicle is ready to launch, we can continue to operate our space program without interruption, the loss of highly skilled American jobs or ceding ground to Russia or China,” Rep. Posey said in his statement. “Shuttle extension is the only way to close the gap in the near-term and with certainty.”

Besides Kosmas and Posey, 12 other members of Congress have signed on to co-sponsor the bill, primarily from Florida, with a scattering from Texas, Ohio, and Louisiana (and a couple outliers: Jim Costa (D-CA), whose district covers part of the Central Valley including parts of Fresno and Bakersfield; and Chellie Pingree (D-ME)). Notably missing from the list of cosponsors is the Democratic and Republican leadership of the House Science and Technology Committee, including chairman Bart Gordon and ranking member Ralph Hall as well as and space subcommittee chair Gabrielle Giffords and ranking member Pete Olson.