Science in the News - Reestablishment of National Space Council, Meeting Set October 5th (Credit: NASA, Whitehouse.gov)

Image Courtesy: NASA OSIRIS-REx

DISCUSSION: Yesterday Vice President Mike Pence announced a scheduled meeting for October 5th, 2017 of the National Space Council. The meeting is to be held at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly Virginia. This meeting comes after the June 30th reestablishment of the National Space Council. The goal of the council has been to guide NASA to achieve missions in space exploration by advising the president and leaders of government agencies which include but are not limited to NASA, Secretaries of State, Commerce, Defense and more, all led by Vice President Mike Pence.
 
“This meeting will provide an opportunity for the administration to lay out its vision for space exploration,” as stated by Pence. President Trump indicated, “We’re a nation of pioneers, and the next great American frontier is space (Whitehouse 2017).”
 
From a previous release of appropriations, the house reported NASA is funded at $19.9 billion which is an estimated $219 millions above the 2017 level, the funding includes:
 *$4.6 billion for explorations which is $226 million above 2017 fiscal to continue the development of the Orion crew vehicle and Space Launch system and related ground systems
*$5.9 billion for NASA science program which is $94 millions above fiscal 2017, specifically towards funding planetary science, astrophysics and research and development programs of critical items (Appropriations 2017).
 
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© 2017 Meteorologist Jessica Olsen
 
 
Resources:
 
Northon, Karen. “NASA Statement on National Space Council.” NASA, NASA, 30 June 2017, www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-statement-on-national-space-council. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.
 
"The U.S. House of Representatives Committee On Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen." Committee Releases Fiscal Year 2018 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill | Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sep. 2017.
 
 
“Vice President Mike Pence Announces First Meeting of The National Space Council.” The White House, The United States Government, 26 Sept. 2017, www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/09/26/vice-president-mike-pence-announces-first-meeting-national-space-council. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.