Civil vs. Commercial Space Debate Tuesday?

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology will hold a hearing Tuesday, September 15 on the Options and Issues for NASA’s Human Space Flight Program: Report of the “Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans” Committee report submiited to the White House last week. The witnesses include space expert Norman Augustine and former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.

The scheduled two-hour hearing will be webcast LIVE here between 2 PM and 4 PM EDT from Room 2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building inWashington, D.C.

Griffin recently sent a memo to friends and Washington-insiders critical of the so-called Augustine Commission work with one specific traget the commercial space launch sector seeking to support re-supply and cargo missions to the International Space Station in the near-term and provide commercial crew launches in the 2015-to-2016 time period. The resulting testimony will certainly be a source of debate between the civil and commercial space advocates as to the future direction of America's space effort and funding resources in coming annual federal budgets.