U.S. President Barack Obama dipped into the proverbial lion's den today, flying to Kennedy Space Center to kickoff a day-long space conference and promote his controversial vision for NASA and proposed national space policy. Addressing a mostly-friendly audience of invited guests and dozens of news media, the President carefully and passionately defended his decision to redirect NASA's mission - a plan that includes cancelling the Constellation program and the thousands of jobs dependent upon it.
DOCUMENTS TRANSCRIPT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S SPEECH NASA SPACE POLICY FACT SHEET OSTP SPACE POLICY FACT SHEET STATEMENT BY REP. SUZANNE KOSMAS STATEMENT BY SEN. BILL NELSON STATEMENT BY REP. BILL POSEY STATEMENT BY REP. DANA ROHRABACHER STATEMENT BY SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER STATEMENT BY REP. PETE OLSON STATEMENT BY REP. RALPH HALL STATEMENT BY ELON MUSK APOLLO ASTRONAUTS OPEN LETTER TO PRES. OBAMA REPORT ON IMPACT TO BREVARD COUNTY SCHOOLS MAP OF BREVARD COUNTY SCHOOL JOB LOSSES/GAINS VIDEO PRESIDENT OBAMA SPEAKS AT KSC WATCH | DOWNLOAD PRESIDENT OBAMA ARRIVES AT KSC WATCH | DOWNLOAD NASA SPACE CONFERENCE OPENING CEREMONY WATCH | DOWNLOAD NASA SPACE CONFERENCE CLOSING SESSION WATCH | DOWNLOAD PRESIDENT OBAMA LEAVES KSC WATCH | DOWNLOAD U.S. SENATOR BILL NELSON COMMENTS WATCH | DOWNLOAD BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY COMMENTS WATCH | DOWNLOAD A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION AND DISCOVERY PRESIDENT OBAMAS PLAN FOR NASA WATCH ALL-ACCESS MEMBERS ONLY VIDEO BREAKOUT SESSION: ISS PANEL DOWNLOAD BREAKOUT SESSION: HARNESSING SPACE DOWNLOAD BREAKOUT SESSION: JUMPSTARTING TECHNOLOGY DOWNLOAD BREAKOUT SESSION: EXPLORING THE SOLAR SYSTEM DOWNLOAD PRESIDENT OBAMA SPEAKS AT KSC (HD 720) DOWNLOAD A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION AND DISCOVERY PRESIDENT OBAMAS PLAN FOR NASA (HD 1080) DOWNLOAD A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION AND DISCOVERY PRESIDENT OBAMAS PLAN FOR NASA (HD 720) DOWNLOAD A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION AND DISCOVERY PRESIDENT OBAMAS PLAN FOR NASA (HD 480) DOWNLOAD "I am 100 percent committed to the mission of NASA and its future," said President Obama. "Because broadening our capabilities in space will continue to serve our society in ways that we can scarcely imagine. Because exploration will once more inspire wonder in a new generation -- sparking passions and launching careers. And because, ultimately, if we fail to press forward in the pursuit of discovery, we are ceding our future and we are ceding that essential element of the American character." Obama unveiled his plan for NASA to an audience of 200 invited guests, mostly supporters of his vision in the main hall of Kennedy Space Center's Operations & Checkout Building - the same building that will see the Orion spacecraft assembled for flight. Air Force One landed under grey skies at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility at 1:25 p.m. with Obama accompanied by U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D - New Smyrna Beach) and U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D - FL) and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. A few minutes later, they climbed into the motorcade of black armored limousines for a quick drive-by tour of the center, including the Vehicle Assembly Building, Launch Complex 39 A and B and the Atlas launch pad at Complex 41. Then the motorcade stopped at Launch Complex 40, the launch pad for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, for a 20-minute tour. Obama, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and SpaceX founder Elon Musk walked around the launch pad with the inaugural Falcon 9 standing 180 feet tall on its pedestal behind them and talked about the future of SpaceX and NASA. Then it was off to the KSC O&C building and the President's long-awaited speech. It should be noted, however, that, except for a few senior managers, no NASA employees (especially rank and file workers) were invited to the event. Those whose jobs entail working in the O&C building were given the day off, with pay. However, hundreds, if not thousands, of other employees lined the route of the motorcade to show their support of space exploration and get a glimpse of the President. With few exceptions, if the workers at Kennedy Space Center were considered a "hostile workforce", none of that sentiment was visible today. Mainly, it seemed people just wanted to get the rare chance to see the President, show their support for NASA and say "Hey, we work here, please don't forget about us." As a key concession to detractors, a new element of the White House policy is the proposal to continue development of Orion as a slimmed down spacecraft strictly as a crew rescue vehicle for the International Space Station. However, continuation of Orion will help offset a portion of the massive job losses expected to arise from the termination of the space shuttle and remainder of the Constellation programs. Up to 9,000 directly-related aerospace jobs are anticipated to be lost following the retirement of the shuttle and cancellation of Constellation could lead to a long-term net loss of thousands more positions through 2015. Some community leaders, including Brevard County Commissioner Robin Fisher, Kosmas and Nelson, had lobbied for a temporary extension of the shuttle program, flying two flights per year to ISS until a new manned vehicle is operational. However, Obama has been unconvinced by their arguments. "Now, it's true -- there are Floridians who will see their work on the shuttle end as the program winds down," said Obama. However, he emphasized that his new plan is intended to stimulate job creation in the long run. "We're going to modernize the Kennedy Space Center, creating jobs as we upgrade launch facilities. And there's potential for even more jobs as companies in Florida and across America compete to be part of a new space transportation industry," the President remarked. "This holds the promise of generating more than 10,000 jobs nationwide over the next few years. And many of these jobs will be created right here in Florida because this is an area primed to lead in this competition." 
(Photo Above: President Obama announces his vision for NASA and the future of space exploration during a speech at KSC. Credit: John O'Connor / nasatech.net) All told, the President's new plan is expected to generate more than 2,500 additional jobs in the Kennedy Space Center area by 2012, as compared to the prior path under Constellaiton. President Obama's space policy proposal signifies nothing less than the largest restructuring of the space agency since the transition from Apollo to the Space Transportation System (space shuttle) in the early 1970's. Of course, Florida has been sort of like ground zero in the battle for the future of NASA and space exploration and White House has been the target of intense lobbying by the state's congressional delegation, especially Kosmas, Nelson and Rep. Bill Posey, a Republican. The policy proposal reflects the fruits of their efforts with specific proposals aimed directly at mitigating the hardship expected to descend on the Space Coast once the shuttle is retired. Chief among all the items in the President's proposal is the call for NASA to undertake $1.9 billion effort to upgrade and modernize infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center into a 21st Century spaceport capable of competing on the commercial market with spaceports in Kourou, French Guiana, Baikonur, Kazahkstan and around the world, according to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). To ease the transition for workers dislocated while the new space strategy is being implemented, the proposal dedicates $40 million of the funds requested for the Constellation transition to transform the regional economy and prepare its workforce for these new opportunities. Along with the funding, a team will be created with senior officials from the Departments of Defense, Commerce, and Labor, NASA and the White House in order to develop a plan for regional economic growth and retraining dislocated workers to seize new work opportunities. The team will report its recommendations to the President by August 15. Additionally, the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration (EDA) will support a comprehensive economic adjustment strategy for the Kennedy Space Center economic region to help manage the transition. Specific highlights of interest to Florida's aerospace industry include setting up a new Commercial Crew Development Program Office at the Kennedy Space Center to manage $500 million in FY 2011 and $5.8 billion over five years to foster private-sector transportation services to Earth orbit (e.g. the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule). According to a statement from NASA, an independent analysis ound that the new Commercial Crew and cargo investments are projected to create an average of 11,800 jobs per year nationally, many of which will be based in Florida. To manage the upgrades to Kennedy Space Center's infrastructure, a new 21st Century Launch Complex Program Office at the Kennedy Space Center will manage $429 million in FY 2011 and $1.9 billion over five years with the goal of reducing launch costs not only for NASA and private sector users. These investments will upgrade Kennedy Space Center's facilities for the 21st century, and ensure that the Kennedy Space Center will remain a world-class launch port for decades to come, attracting new commercial business in addition to reliably and efficiently supporting government flights. The White House proposal targets the greater Central Florida economic region with an initiative to help make the I-4 corridor (roughly the area from Daytona Beach and KSC west through Orlando) the Silicon Valley of space. A new Flagship Technology Demonstrations Deputy Program Office will help manage, along with the Johnson Space Center's Program Office, $424 million in FY 2011 and $6 billion over five years to demonstrate transformational technologies for next-generation space flight capabilities. Of particular importance to those concerned about the lack of a new heavy-lift launch vehicle (e.g. Ares V) for deep-space manned exploration in the next decade, the proposal establishes a multibillion dollar heavy-lift propulsion R&D effort and calls for a firm decision on the design of a new HLLV by 2015, with construction to begin immediately thereafter - at least 3 years before Ares V was to have begun "metal-bending" development. This new rocket would eventually lift future deep-space spacecraft to enable humans to expand our reach toward Mars and the rest of the Solar System. This new rocket would take advantage of the new technology investments proposed in the budget - primarily a $3.1 billion investment over five years on heavy-lift R&D. This propulsion R&D effort will include development of a U.S. first-stage hydrocarbon engine for potential use in future heavy lift launch systems, as well as basic research in areas such as new propellants, advanced propulsion materials manufacturing techniques, combustion processes, and engine health monitoring, all of which are expected to shorten the development time for any future heavy-lift rocket. As already mentioned, NASA will restructure the Orion crew exploration vehicle program to a simpler and more efficient design that will be focused on crew emergency escape from the International Space Station. As part of the President's new plan for NASA, the development work already performed on Orion will be re-oriented away from lunar exploration to meet the important safety requirement of providing stand-by emergency escape capabilities for astronauts on the Space Station. 
(Photo Above: President Obama walks with Elong Musk at SpaceX Launch Complex 40 with Falcon 9 in the background. Credit: NASA / KSC / bill Ingalls) As provided by OSTP, the President's proposal is intended to create a long-term investment in NASA and the country's space capabilities by doing the following:
Unfortunately, for some, the President's proposal didn't include any surprising new developments with the exception of Orion. It seemed, from speaking with KSC workers off the record, that Obama's speech receive at muted reception at best. One veteran employee, speaking on the phone after the event, described it with one word: "awful." The reaction of community leaders and elected officials was more varied. "President Obama reiterated the nation's long-term space goal - America, and American astronauts, exploring the solar system. This remains the right goal," said Rohrabacher. "We as a nation must remain committed to the goal - not just on particular methods to get there." "Ending the Constellation program is the right thing to do," continued Rohrabacher. "Overstated and unrealistic expectations destined Constellation for failure. NASA would need an annual budget increase between 15% and 25% for Constellation to have any chance at success. In a time of record deficits, that does not make sound fiscal sense." Rohrabacher also agreed with the biggest change in the plan - completing the Orion space capsule. "Finishing Orion makes sense," said Rohrabacher. "It's one of the few areas in the $9 billion Constellation program with actual technology development." It's important to note that the White House proposal is just that - a proposal. From here, Congress will weigh in, and debate. It can be expected that there will be a lot of horse-trading and efforts to add to it such items as a program of unmanned test flights at KSC as advocated by Nelson. The process is likely to last months. In fact, few people expect the budget process to be complete by October 1, the start of the new fiscal year. If that's the case, then, once again, NASA's ambitions and initiatives will face another (hopefully short) delay due to the only thing that has ever killed a space program: politics. However, if nothing else, with the release of his proposal and accompanying visit to KSC, President Obama has finally laid out his vision for NASA and the future of space exploration and, just as importantly, ended the uncertainty and speculation about what NASA's "Next Step" is to be. For the workforce at NASA, it's been bad enough to know many of them would likely lose their jobs; but it's been devastating to not know when and not be able to plan their individual and family transitions from the shuttle era to whatever the future holds. (The Spacearium / SpaceflightNews.net)
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