NASA boss reassures city on role

Griffin notes effort by Marshall in U.S. return to the moon

Saturday, January 07, 2006

By MARIAN ACCARDI
Times Business Writer, accardi@htimes.com

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said here Friday that the space agency is counting on Huntsville and Marshall Space Flight Center to help it return to the moon and farther into space.

"This community has nothing to worry about for the next 20 years unless the nation decides to get out of the space business," said Griffin, who was the keynote speaker at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce's annual membership meeting at the Von Braun Center.

Marshall, he said, is designing and developing two new rockets NASA needs to reach its space exploration goals - the Crew Launch Vehicle and the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle.

The Vision for Space Exploration, which was announced by President Bush in January 2004, calls for returning humans to the moon by the end of the next decade, followed by journeys to Mars and beyond.

"Already the Marshall team is quickly moving from the plans on paper to hardware development, with testing under way this month on shuttle main engines that will play a prominent role in the Crew Launch Vehicle and Heavy Lift Launch configurations," Griffin said. This summer, he said, NASA will begin to involve private space contractors in the development of the CLV upper stage.

NASA's short-term objectives to put the space exploration plan in place are to use space shuttles to complete assembly of the International Space Station by 2010, fly a new crew exploration vehicle by 2012, and return an astronaut crew to the moon by 2018, Griffin said.

"Last year, we took some major steps to enable the achievement of these objectives," including safely flying the shuttle on the STS-114 Discovery mission, Griffin said. He gave credit to Marshall for its contributions to return-to-flight, including safety improvements made to the shuttle's external tank and the redesign of the bolt-catcher assembly on the shuttle's solid rocket boosters.

"The Marshall team continues to support the effort to ensure that our next shuttle mission, STS-121, flies safely," Griffin said. The STS-121 mission to the space station - tentatively planned for May - will deliver more supplies and cargo for future station expansion.

Twelve Americans have explored the surface of the moon and, with the Vision for Space Exploration, "We are now poised to make that number grow by leaps and bounds," said Griffin.

"In the century that is just beginning to unfold, we will see human presence begin to spread out into the solar system, perhaps sooner than many people expect," he said. "I want America to lead that charge, and the Marshall Space Flight Center will, as it has been in the past, be crucial to our success."




NASA boss reassures city on role Griffin notes effort by Marshall in U.S. return to the moon Saturday, January 07, 2006 By MARIAN ACCARDI Times Business Writer, accardi@htimes.com NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said here Friday that the space agency is counting on Huntsville and Marshall Space Flight Center to help it return to the moon and farther into space. "This community has nothing to worry about for the next 20 years unless the nation decides to get out of the space business," said Griffin, who was the keynote speaker at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce's annual membership meeting at the Von Braun Center. Marshall, he said, is designing and developing two new rockets NASA needs to reach its space exploration goals - the Crew Launch Vehicle and the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle. The Vision for Space Exploration, which was announced by President Bush in January 2004, calls for returning humans to the moon by the end of the next decade, followed by journeys to Mars and beyond. "Already the Marshall team is quickly moving from the plans on paper to hardware development, with testing under way this month on shuttle main engines that will play a prominent role in the Crew Launch Vehicle and Heavy Lift Launch configurations," Griffin said. This summer, he said, NASA will begin to involve private space contractors in the development of the CLV upper stage. NASA's short-term objectives to put the space exploration plan in place are to use space shuttles to complete assembly of the International Space Station by 2010, fly a new crew exploration vehicle by 2012, and return an astronaut crew to the moon by 2018, Griffin said. "Last year, we took some major steps to enable the achievement of these objectives," including safely flying the shuttle on the STS-114 Discovery mission, Griffin said. He gave credit to Marshall for its contributions to return-to-flight, including safety improvements made to the shuttle's external tank and the redesign of the bolt-catcher assembly on the shuttle's solid rocket boosters. "The Marshall team continues to support the effort to ensure that our next shuttle mission, STS-121, flies safely," Griffin said. The STS-121 mission to the space station - tentatively planned for May - will deliver more supplies and cargo for future station expansion. Twelve Americans have explored the surface of the moon and, with the Vision for Space Exploration, "We are now poised to make that number grow by leaps and bounds," said Griffin. "In the century that is just beginning to unfold, we will see human presence begin to spread out into the solar system, perhaps sooner than many people expect," he said. "I want America to lead that charge, and the Marshall Space Flight Center will, as it has been in the past, be crucial to our success." © 2005 The Huntsville Times © 2005 al.com All Rights Reserved.