Budget. He was asked about cuts to programs in a such as education, science and satellite servicing technology. The Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing is about one hour. The hearing will come to order. Im pleased to welcome acting administrator Robert Lightfoot to the commerce of justice and science appropriations subcommittee hearing to examine nasa fiscal year 2018 budget request. Mr. Lightfoot and i worked well together in his tenure as director of Nasa Marshall Space Flight Center in huntsville, alabama. Mr. Lightfoot, thank you for serving as nasa leader during this time of change and appreciate you joining us here today. The administration has proposed a fiscal year 2018 budget of 19. 1 billion for nasa which is a reduction of 2. 9 for the current year level. While this overall cut is lessening of agencies that have experienced in the present budget request, it still reflects a significant reduction of 561 million. His budget request attempt to navigate a challenging fiscal environment but would disrupt Ongoing Missions and delay future exploration for years to come. There are proposals to cut Science Missions and to eliminate the entire education directorate using the rationale that nasa could do without these programs under a reduced budget. Of the Research Programs left with insufficient Financial Resources which will make it impossible for nasa to meet its own management plans and launch schedules. On human exploration, the Current Administration picks up with the Previous Administration left off, by projecting a lofty vision for space while providing a budget that keeps the vision from leaving earth. The space launch system and your jan Paul Ryan Paul ryan free of its decades long tether to low or overtook eventually sending astronauts to mars. In addition sls will provide nasa with a versatile platform to deliver planetary robotic science and spacebased astronomy missions. Sls is a vehicle that will make it possible, will make possible meaning of nasas goals to push the boundaries of exploration. I look forward to initial launch of sls and work to see that a crew large will follow soon after that i believe we must have an active budget reflect these launch decisions and to meet our nationals nations goals. If of the pieces necessary for exploration are not ready we will lose time and waistlines in the near term. It could be used for other important activities down the road. Nasa i believe must ensure that the rigor with which it reviews its own missions is applied all of its activities and avoid pressure to send astronauts to space at any cost. This growing segment that nasa should change the way it does business. It should be when lives in the roof sources of the nation are at stake. Nasa is very popular with the public. It also has a significant amount of data for sciences to use and understanding the universe around us. I believe its incumbent that they be able to share their findings but the agency must also maintain a secure cyber environment of operation. Their innovative ideas involve significant risk and also require significant investment. The subcommittee strives to provide balance to the overall portfolio while also ensuring the ongoing activities are appropriately funded to accomplish nasas mission. As with any administration the proposed budget represents a snapshot in time based on decisions made with the most relevant information available. As the subcommittee moves ahead, i look forward to working with you to achieve the appropriate balance. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thank you administrator lightfoot for being here this morning. This is my first nasa hearing. Im especially pleased to hear your comments and testimony and i want you to know that coming from a state like alabama where you have facilities and a history of space as part of your economy, you may not think of New Hampshire as the space state but we have our own claim to space. The First American in space, alan shepard is from New Hampshire and the teacher in space who died tragically in the challenger accident was from New Hampshire. Today New Hampshire companies are working to supply nasa with technology to improve flow, orbit and deep space exploration. They are a leader in space weather and in designing, building and operating major instruments on nasa satellites to study solar physics. The New Hampshire space grant is inspiring a love of science and k12 students in helping undergraduate and graduate students through scholarship, fellowships and internship. The Research Grants and education like space graha space grant, every state is a space state. Unfortunately the budget request for nasa cuts many of the programs that keep the agency connected to the rest of america. It eliminates nasa Education Mission including the space grant and app score. The programs have had challenges but i dont think the way to meet those challenges is to illuminate the program. Mr. Lightfoot, when you and i met my office we agreed one of nasas most important jobs is to help kids learn to love science and technology. I look forward to working with you and the chairman to ensure nasa can continue to help inspire and train the next generation of technical workers whether they are building rockets or american industry and products in the private sector. Overall the budget request is 19. 1 billion. Thats a cut of 3 below the fy 2017 level. Those cuts werent applied equally. In addition to eliminating Education Programs, the budget proposes the cuts to nextgeneration Transportation Systems and Earth Science. Items that are priorities of this committee because they help nasa reach the agencies calling to explore, discover, teach and inspire. The chairman discussed the need to fund orion and the space launch system needed to send humans beyond low earth orbit. I will take a minute and talk about Earth Science. When it comes to climate change, nasas job is to observe the earth, to tell us actually what is happening to our planet. Nasa doesnt say why earths climate is changing or what policies we need to take in response, but we do know from surveys published by the university of New Hampshires school of Public Policy the spring that 73 of americans say theys trust science agencies such as nasa for information about climate change. Nearly twice as many trust friends and families or political leaders. Its a solemn responsibility for nasa. Yet, the 2018 budget request cuts earths observation by more than 8 , ending five missions. Now, closing our eyes to whats happening to our planet doesnt mean that its not happening. People in my state of New Hampshire have no doubt that the climate is changing because in the Granite State we see it every day. The steady increase in nearly temperatures, the rise in annual precipitation are already affecting our tourism and Outdoor Recreation economy that contributes more than 4 billion to New Hampshire. This isnt the time to cut back on nasas earth observations. I look forward to working with you on the committee to ensure that nasa continues progress on highpriority earth Science Missions and research. Finally i want to end by noting that nasa contracting remains on the Government Accountability office highrisk list where it has been listed since 1990. We all recognize how challenging the produc programs are and how important your Technological Development is, but the quality of the Program Management needs to match the quality of its science, and i think that is the point of the gao, continuing to list nasa. Again, thank you for testifying in thank you, mr. Chairman for holding this hearing. Welcome again to the committee. Your written testimony will be made part of the hearing record. Thank you both for having me. Mr. Chairman, members of the subcommittee, i am pleased to have the opportunity to discuss nasas fy 18 budget request. We appreciate the subcommittee support, especially your bipartisan commitments. The fy 2017 consolidated appropriations act and emergency supplemental funding for Kennedy Space center are concrete contributions to this vital continuity. We appreciate the subcommittees hard work on nasas behalf. Nasas historic and enduring purpose can be summarized in three major thrust. Discover, explore and develop. These correspond for missions of scientific discovery, exploration, new Technology Development in aeronautics and space. Nasas missions inspire the next generation. They inject innovation into the national economy. They provide critical information to address National Challenges and they support Global Engagement in international leadership. He fy 18 request is 19. 1 billion and it supports a vigorous program that leads the world in space and aeronautics bradwell we had to make difficult decisions, this remains a good budget for nasa as we move forward. They advanced Global Leadership by developing and transferring key enabling technologies. In fy 2018 we were awarded contracts for detailed aircraft design build invalidation of a low boom flight demonstrator that will demonstrate quiet flight, open a new market to u. S. Industry. In science they are currently using 20 space bar missions to study the earth as a system which supply weather forecasting, farming, water management, Disaster Response and even disease early warning. It supports two missions by the end of 2018. It will track water across the planet by measuring the gravitational field. It also measures. [inaudible] in september they will make the final daring dive through the 1500mile wide gap between the planet, saturn and its rings as part of its grand finale end of mission maneuvers. They will conduct a search for objects known as earth trojan asteroids. On the journey, in 2023 will return a sample back to earth. We launch mars lander in 2018 tos that he the structure of mars and on track to launch the next Mars Rover Mission in 2020. The telescope continues schedule in 2018 will launch the solar probe on a mission to fight closer to the sun than any previous mission. They will join 18 missions dedicating to studying our nearest star. There Space Technology request includes investment in optical communications, high power solar propulsion technologies and advanced material. Both the green propellant spacecraft in the deep space will be delivered to orbit. They want to keep us safe healthy and productive on increasing duration. Working with commercial crew partners they want to return it to american soil in 2018. We also continuing development on the space launch system rocket. Yet orion crew capsule and the Research Needed to support a robust human exploration program. In 2019 we plan to launch an Exploration Mission using the new heavy lift launch vehicle and the orion spacecraft on a mission to lunar orbit. In the early mid 2020s, we will develop and apply critical lifesupport and habitation technologies beyond the moon system. They will establish the capability to operate safely and productively in deep space. With your continued support we look forward to extending human presence in the state deeper understanding of our home planet, and pushing our observations of the universe back to the time when the first stars were formed in opening the space frontier. I would be pleased to respond to questions and other members of the subcommittee. Thank you very much. First i recognize senator mansion. He has a conflict. Thank you very much for your consideration. Mr. Lightfoot, over many decades virginia has developed an aerospace of excellence. We are the home of the state of the rocket boys, the start of the recent film Hidden Figures with Catherine Johnson and we are proud to have nasa independent verification and validation facility. [inaudible] our own West Virginia university supports nasa and the asteroid redirect mission. Its hard to d believe we do all those things. Id like to refer to this as an ecosystem of technology that supports one another, the region and the nation. This has been a result of hard work over the years. We are now carrying the torch and proud to be part of the nasa team and i trust we can work with you and your colleagues to continue to build and develop the capability for the benefit of this nation. While i am disappointed in the administrations decision to eliminate the nasa office of administration, i am puzzled at the explanation provided in your testimony that nasa will continue to inspire the next generation through its mission in many ways and that our work encourages discovery by learners of many ages. They believe it will move to a spectator support experience. In my state of West Virginia through the nasa space grant, thousands of students ranging from k12, undergraduate or postgraduate, the students have interned at nasa facilities and a part of your workforce and engineers. If you could describe how you plan to replicate the same kind of handson development of activities that grow the workforce with elimination of the nasa office of education and provides training to our next generation scientist but i dont know how it can be done without handson. Great question senator. For us, the way we are looking at this is with the balance of the work we do in our mission which is several Research Grants, several challenges. May have won the challenge related to robotics two years in a row. Our goal is to try to use those technical challenges we have in our Mission Together the next teams that come in. Now, will it replace what we have in Education Today . No. I would never say that. But i do believe its a way we can inspire, and we been working on pulling together our outreach activities that we do through the mission to try to compare those with what were doing an education and bring a more integrated solution to help inspire the next generation. I truly believe our missions actually do inspire the next generation as much as the handson work does and so thats what were trying to do. Let me ask this question. And like to talk to about masses restore l program. A satellite Servicing Mission to show that they can be refueled in space and has significant cost savings with commercial satellites in providing new methods for spacecraft management. Its my understanding nasa recently designated it as a confirmed mission and is on schedule for lunch date to refuel the geological satellite. In considering these developments im concerned by the budget request for the restore l program. The specific funding line has been zeroed out but the budget request indicates they should proceed with restore l tasks. I dont have as possible to be done. How can you request for the restore l program to include conflicting messages that cancels the outright. We believe they should develop the technology and the teams of virginia will him part of that team. We will still develop the technologies that allow us to do satellite servicing, whether thats run review and operation. How is that in sync with your 2018 budget. Weve got 48 million to do that effort. Thats the satellite servicing effort. Then we take that, we think this is a great opportunity for Publicprivate Partnership to allow commercial folks to take our technologies and build the systems that you are talking about. Whether we need to demonstrate that in an actual mission, i think we think we can do this technology and let the commercial publicprivate side decide if they want to be servicing satellites in orbit. I would respectfully ask you to reconsider the program for how it continues to be done. Im not sure the private sector will step in with so much left undone. Our goal is to not those Technology Items down so they will jump in. Thats what were trying to do. We will be monitoring very closely. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it very much. Mr. Lightfoot, i have a number of questions. I will start with expiration budgeting. In the year 2017, appropriations bill, it directed nasa to provide a consolidated budget by exploration not accounts for the schedule that nasa is actually managing. My understanding that the proposed exploration budget is set to a slower timeline and the disconnect between nasas funding and management schedule create some uncertainty in the decisionmaking. I believe in the aerospace business, uncertainty equals more cost, at least we found this on this committee. I have a number of questions. When will nasa provide the subcommittee the funding subcommittee with the required budget detailing the actual cost necessary for the initial launches of sls rather than what is being proposed . As you know we are in the middle of a relook at the schedule based on a Breach Report we sent you. How long will that take . The relook . We, theyre getting back with me at the end of august with what the