‘Can You Explain How China Uses Space As A Foreign Policy Tool?’: Bill Posey Asks NASA Admin Nelson

4 months ago

During a House Science, Space & Technology Committee hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL) questioned NASA Administrator Bill Nelson about infrastructure needs, commercial partners and China’s use of space as a foreign policy tool.

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Transcript

00:00 Mr.

00:01 Administrator I yield back gentle lady yields back the chair recognized the gentleman, Florida. Mr. Posey for five minutes

00:06 Thank you very much. Mr. Chairman and Mr. Nelson good to see you back again

00:11 Regarding the deferred maintenance we have on the aging structures

00:16 How do we make sure that we prioritize the infrastructure needs?

00:21 Going down there down the road and I know it's the same problem slightly. You just talked about that

00:26 Yes, sir

00:28 you can't build infrastructure without some money and

00:32 So, where do we cut in the budget?

00:37 I just gave you one example that we're trying to still succeed with the Mars sample return at a

00:44 Cost of about one half of what it was going projected to be

00:51 Infrastructure is one of the biggest problems we have it is aging infrastructure

00:58 it's right there in your district, but it's in every center and

01:02 NASA facility in the country and

01:06 what I'm hoping is

01:09 when you all get through with the cycle of

01:13 24 and 25 they come 26

01:17 With all of the fiscal other things that you have to consider that there might be

01:23 some more

01:27 Appropriations for NASA to address its facilities needs. Thank you. Can you speak to the importance of?

01:34 NASA's commercial partners in supporting a space station say that again

01:39 Congressman can you can you speak to the importance of NASA's commercial partners?

01:44 Supporting our space station. Oh

01:46 Absolutely, and they are

01:49 Look at all the science with commercial partners that we have going on

01:56 Not only the science like pharmaceuticals, but the

02:01 The planetary science that we have going on

02:05 Commercial partners as we go back to the moon

02:10 We don't go back just as the US government

02:13 We're going back with commercial partners and the example is both SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing landers

02:21 And once we have both then we'll make a choice

02:26 between the two

02:28 so

02:31 Commercial

02:32 parts of NASA happen to go back to the 2010 of

02:37 NASA bill of which Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas and I had something to do with yeah

02:44 Could you explain how China uses space as a foreign policy tool

02:49 How China does or how all of us do? Yeah. Well

02:56 Let me say that, you know when we fly a foreign astronaut

03:01 That certainly is a part of a foreign policy tool

03:06 when we do a

03:09 foreign

03:11 experiment

03:13 When the University of Edinburgh is a major principal investigator on the James Webb Space Telescope

03:20 That's all

03:21 foreign policy as well

03:24 likewise China does

03:27 tries

03:29 But is not nearly as successful as we are because they're much more secretive

03:35 Yeah in their space program. Yeah, how do we counter their announcement that they're going to invite international astronauts?

03:43 It's land their space station. We've already done that many cases obviously been there done that but

03:49 Well, we're not going to counter it we'll see if they do it and to what extent it's just like they say that they want

03:56 to put

03:58 International

04:00 Contributions into an experimental place on the South Pole of the moon

04:06 Of course my concern is that they don't get there first and then say this is our area you stay out

04:14 Because the South Pole of the moon is an important part

04:18 We think because we think that there is water there and if there's water

04:24 then there's rocket fuel and

04:27 That's one reason we're going to the South

04:30 Pole of the moon

04:33 Yeah, they're not going there to study the origins of man or collect rocks. They're going there to colonize and

04:39 Everything that they do has a military component to it. You know that I know that

04:44 that great great concern. I see I'm about to run out of time. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. Thank you.

‘Can You Explain How China Uses Space As A Foreign Policy Tool?’: Bill Posey Asks NASA Admin Nelson

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