spacetoday.net: Augustine committee holds first hearing

Posted: Thu, Jun 18, 2009, 5:53 AM ET (0953 GMT)
A committee charterer by the White House to review NASA's human spaceflight plans held its first public meeting in Washington on Wednesday. The Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee, also known as the Augustine Committee after its chairman, former Lockheed Martin CEO Norm Augustine, took testimony Wednesday on NASA's current exploration plans, including the development of the Ares 1 and 5 rockets and the Orion spacecraft. The committee also heard about various alternatives, such as using EELV-derived vehicles to launch Orion, as well as commercial options. Augustine said after the hearing that the committee planned to offer a number of options to the White House at the end of their work in August graded against a set of criteria the panel is developing. The committee plans three other public meetings in Huntsville, Cape Canaveral, and Washington through early August, in addition to a number of site visits.