At the hearing will come to order. I am pleased to welcome acting administrator Robert Lightfoot to the commerce and science appropriations subcommittee hearing to examine nasas fiscal year 2018 budget request. Mr. Lightfoot my works well together during his tenure as the director of nasas Flight Center in huntsville alabama. Mr. Lightfoot thank you for serving as nasas leader during this time of change and i 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 from the current year level. While this overall cut is less than many other agencies that have experienced the president s budget request reflects a significant reduction of 561 million dollars. This budget request attempts to navigate a challenging fiscal environment that would disrupt Ongoing Missions and delay future explorations for years to come. There are proposals to eliminate the entire education director at using the rationale that nasa can do without these programs under a budget. Other Research Programs are left with Financial Resources which make it impossible for nasa to meet its own management plans. Human exploration the Current Administration picks up where the Previous Administration left off by projecting a the lofty vision to space while providing a budget that keeps the mission from leaving earth. The space system and they orion capsule designed to break our Human Space Program from its decades long tether. In addition sls will provide nasa with the versatile platform to deliver planetary robotics science and spacebased astronomy missions. Sls will make it will make possible many of nasas goals to push the boundaries of exploration. Look forward to the launch of sls and will work to see that a launch will follow soon. I believe you must have an accurate budget to reflect these launch decisions and to meet our nations exploration goals. To fund the pieces necessary for exploration we will lose time and waste funds in the near term. It could be used for other important activities down the road. Nass i believe must ensure that the rigor with which it uses its own missions apply to all of its activities and avoid pressure to send astronauts into space at any cost. Its a long sentiment that nasa should what change the way this business. It should be commercial transportation services. Were it not for millions in Development Funds for nasa acting as Venture Capital there would be no company that attempted to one day take crews to space. Even with this investment that companies nasa will use for Crew Services are behind schedule. The program has increase costs and independent observers cite the inability of our partners to meet safety standards. While the risk is inherent in anything nasa chooses to undertake there is no replacement for proper analysis and percussion with lines and resources of the nations current state when it comes to Agency Operations i would encourage to see the investments in Information Technology cybersecurity in his proposed budget. Nasa is very popular with the public and has a significant amount of data in understanding the universe around us but i believe its incumbent that nasa be able to share its findings that the agency must also maintain a secure cyber environment operation. Nasas innovative ideas often involve significant risks and also require significant investments. The subcommittee provides balance for funding and overall portfolio while also ensuring ongoing activities are appropriately funded to accomplish nasas missions. As with any of ministers and the proposed that represents a snapshot in time based on decisions made with the most relevant information available. Is the subcommittee moves ahead to reduce her their annual spending bill i look forward to working with you to achieve the appropriate balance for nasas missions. Senator shaheen. Thank you mr. Chairman thank you to mr. Lightfoot for being here this morning. This is my first nasa hearing so im especially pleased to hear your comments and testimony and i want you to know mr. Chairman that coming from a state like alabama where you have massive facilities and you have a history of your economy may not think of New Hampshire is a space state that we have our own claim to space. The First American in space alan shepard is from their New Hampshire and of course the teacher in space krysta mcauliffe who died in the challenger accident was from answer printed was from mancher pic today New Hampshire companies are helping to supply a nasa with technology to improve orbit in deepspace exploration. New hampshire is also a leader in space weather and designing building and operating major instruments on nasas satellites to study solar systems. The New Hampshire is helping undergraduates and graduate students with scholarships, fellowships and internships and other Research Grants and Education Programs like every state is spacebased. Unfortunately they have full 18 budget request for nasa cuts many the programs they keep the agency connected to the rest of america. Eliminates nasa Education Mission directorate including the space grants. Nasa Education Programs have had challenges but i dont think the way to meet those challenges is to eliminate the program. Mr. Lightfoot when you and i met in my office we agreed one of nasas most important jobs is to help kids learn to love science and technology and i look forward to working with you and the chairman to ensure that nasa can continue to help inspire and train the next generation of technical workers whether they are building rockets are building american industry in the private sector. Overall nasas budget request of 19. 1 billion, a cut of 3 below the fy2017 level but those cuts werent applied equally. In addition to eliminating Education Programs the budget proposes deep cuts to nextgeneration Transportation Systems and Earth Science. The priorities of this Committee Help nasa reach the agency calling to explore discovered teach and inspire. Chairman shelby has discussed the need to fund the orion and the space launch system the sls needed to send humans beyond low earth orbit so i will take a minute and talk about Earth Science. When it comes to Climate Change nasas job is to observe the earth and tell us factly what is happening to our planet. Nasa doesnt say why earths climate is changing our policies we need to take in response but we do know from surveys published by the university of New Hampshires Mccarthy School of Public Policy this spring that 73 of americans say they trust science agencies such as nasa for information about Climate Change. Nearly twice as many as Friends Family or political leaders with solemn responsibility for nasa. Yet nasas 22 budget request cuts observation by more than a ending five missions. Closing our eyes to what is happening to our planet doesnt mean its not happening in people in my state of New Hampshire have no doubt that the climate is changing because in the Granite State we see it everyday. The steady increase in early temperatures to rise in annual precipitation are already affecting our tourism and outdoor ration that contributes more than 4 billion a year to New Hampshire. This isnt the time to cut back on earth observations. Look forward to working with chairman shelby and mike colleagues on the committee to ensure that nasa continues progress on highpriority Earth Science missions in research. Finally want to end by noting that nasa contracting remains the Accountability Office highrisk list where it has been listed since 1990. We all recognize how challenging Nasas Programs are and how important the Technological Development is that the quality of Nasas Program management means needs to match the quality of the science and i think thats the point is the gao, continuing to list nasa. Again thank you for testifying today and thank you mr. Chairman for holding this hearing. Welcome to the committee. All of your written testimony will be made part of the hearing record. You may proceed. Thank you both for having me. Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee them pleased to have the opportunity to discuss nasas fy18 budget request. Your bipartisan commitment the purpose for nasa the fy20 teen appropriations act and emergency supplemental funding for Kennedy Space center are concrete contributions to this vital continuity and we appreciate the subcommittees hard work on nasas behalf. The historic purpose can be summarized in three discover explore and develop. These these correspond her missions of scientific discovery exploration new Technology Development in aeronautics and space. Nasas missions inspire the next generation. They inject innovation economy provide critical information to address National Challenges and they support local engagement in international leadership. The fy18 request of 19. 1 billion supports a vigorous program that leads the world in space and aeronautics. While the estimate difficult decision with regard to Earth Science and education this remains a good budget for now as we move forward. By developing and transferring technologies fy2018 will award a contract for detailed aircraft assigned a below boom flight demonstrator which will demonstrate quiet overland supersonic flight opened a new market to u. S. Industry. In science nasa is currently using 20 space Borne Missions to study the earth and the system. It will supply Earth Science data for weather forecasting farming Water ManagementDisaster Response and even disease early warning. This supports two new missions by the end of 2018 the following mission which will track water across the planet by precisely measuring their gravitational pull and ice sheets clouds and vegetation canopy heights. September it will make a final series of daring daish to the 50mile wide gap between the planet saturn and its rings as part of its grand finale. It will conduct the search for elusive objects known as earth trojan asteroids on his journey to the asteroid and in 2023 we will return a sample back to earth. We launched amar since i landed in may of 20 teen to study the interior structure of mars and on track to launch the next Mars Rover Mission in 2020. The James Webb Space Telescope continues on schedule for its 2018 launch to understand the universe and their origins. 20 teen we launched the recently named parker solar probe on a mission to fly closer to the sun parker will join a Team Missions dedicated to studying our nearest star. Nasa Space Technology request includes investment in deepspace optical for medications highpowered solar electric Propulsion Technology and advanced materials. In late 2017 the green propellant fusion spacecraft in the deepspace clock instrument will be delivered torbit to the International Space station are first up on the road to deepspace exploration is living the knowledge and technology we need to keep our astronauts safe healthy and productive on deepSpace Missions of increasing duration and working with commercial partners nasa plans to return crew launch capability to american soil and 2018. We are continuing development on the space rocket. The orion crew capsule ground systems and the technology and Research Needs support the robust Human Exploration Program we plan to launch a crude expiration system using the heavy lifting equal and the orion spacecraft. On a mission to lunar over the cremation will follow not later than 202330 in the early mid2020s who will develop and deploy lifesupport inhabitation capabilities leading to crude Missions Beyond the earths moon systems. Missions launched on sls will establish the capability to operate safely and effectively in deepspace. With your continued support we look forward to going into space exploring habitable environments around the solar system deepening our understanding of our home planet and pushing our observation of the universe back to the time when the first verse performed in opening the space frontier. Ms. Jour chairman i would be pleased to respond to your questions and other members of the subcommittee. I will first. Administrator to a lightfoot my state of virginia has developed an airspace of excellence. We are the home of the state of the space launch. We are proud to have independent verification and validation facility no of backup first operational satellites in the commercial sector and atk lockheedmartin and others prepare West Virginia university supports nasa nasa restore and they asteroid redirect mission. Hard to believe we do all those things and people sometimes forget that i like to refer to this as an ecosystem of technology that forges one another in the region and the nation. This is a rope of the hard work of congressmen abuse and now senator n. I are 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 capabilities for the benefit of this nation. Im disappointed in the decision to eliminate the opposite demonstration. Im puzzled that this nasa with intent to inspire the next generation for its mission in many ways. They suggest or the suggest nasa will move to a spectator sport verses the handson experience of developing instruments and office of education funds. In my state of West Virginia through the space grant thousands of students ranging from k12 undergraduates to postgraduates students have an intern at nasa facilities now part of your workforce and then if you could describe how you plan to replicate the same handson development of activities as a grower s. T. E. M. Workforce with the elimination of the office of education in provide training to our next generation because i dont know how it can be done without handson . A great question senator. For us to where we are looking at this is with the balance of the work we do in our Mission Directives which is civil Research Grants and prizes. That is funded in our Space Technology directorate and not an education so our goal is to use those technical challenges we have in our Mission Directives to gather the next teams that come in. Now will it replace what we have an Education Today . I would never say that but i do believe its a way we can inspire and we have been working on pulling together our outreach activities we do that we do through the Mission Directives to compare those with what we are doing in education with a more integrated solution to help inspire the next generation. I truly believe our mission does inspire the next generation as much as the handson work does and so thats what we are trying to do. Let me ask you this question if i may sir. I would like to talk to botnet nasas restore health program. The Satellite Service commission can be robotically refueled and repaired in space. It provides the methods for space traffic management. Its my understanding nasa doesnt it their program is to confirm mission and is on schedule for 2020 launch date to refuel the u. S. Geological survey satellite. In considering these developments im perplexed by nasas fiscal year 20 teen budget request for the restore health program. For one it has been zeroed out that the budget request indicates its asked to proceed with an extensive amount of restored al tabs. I dont know how its possible for that to be done. It includes conflicting messages to outright cancellations. What we are doing in Satellite Technology is we believe nasa should develop technologies in godard and West Virginia and part of that team. We are still going to develop the technologies that allow us to do satellite servicing whether thats rendezvous operations. How to set sync with your 20 teen budget . We have 48 million in there for that effort th