NASA Seeks Help from Congress ...

As the U.S. House of Representatives prepares to introduce a spending bill for the remainder of 2011 that would reduce NASA’s budget by more than $100 million compared with 2010, a senior agency official asked lawmakers for legislative relief from a measure that he says is impeding NASA as it seeks to carry out a congressional directive to build a heavy-lift rocket and crew exploration capsule.

At issue is a 2010 prohibition on canceling contracts associated with the Constellation program, a space shuttle replacement and lunar exploration initiative that U.S. President Barack Obama seeks to abandon. Although one lawmaker said the forthcoming 2011 spending bill could provide the relief NASA is seeking, opinions on Capitol Hill differ as to whether the space agency’s hands are truly tied, reports Space News.