a few other interesting tidbits in here as well. notably, the implication
that china's recent forays are having a motivating influence on congress.
(finally)

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/beyondleo-03a.html

Washington - Oct 29, 2003
A report by Space Lift Washington and published by NASA Watch suggests a
major new space policy initiative is under consideration and may be
announced by US President George Bush at celebrations planned for the
centenary of flight at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina December 17th.
As the full implications sinks in of funding three decades of a space
program with no serious long term policy planning, Congress has become
increasingly hesitant to offer NASA a blank check anymore.

From a variety of backgrounds and constituencies, pressure is being placed
on Congress and the Bush Administration to get serious about space.

Arguing that the problem is not so much any perceived threats from China,
many seasoned industry professionals are pointing to the public fiscal
responsibilities of Congress to oversee NASA's spending, and the mounting
pressure from the commercial sector that wants a new deal for space vendors
that sees the cosy big aerospace dominance of the industry - and funding -
broken up.

In among all this is the assumption that the US cannot end its human
spaceflight program. And if the money is to be spent, then it should be
spent with specific national technology and industry goals in place -
including measures to encourage new suppliers to offer services at what is
hoped will be lower prices.

According to Space Lift Washington, President Bush may announce at Kitty
Hawk a return to manned lunar exploration but without any specific massive
new funding, forcing NASA to get serious about what it wants to do with it
considerable human spaceflight assets and decades of experience.

The initiative by Bush follows a year-long review of the future directions
of the American space program in the immediate decades ahead.

Space Lift's Frank Sietzen quoting Washington sources writes that a central
recommendation maybe the "resumption of manned lunar flights to develop
advanced technologies that can support U.S. astronauts working beyond Earth
orbit to not only the Moon, but eventually to near-Earth asteroids and
Mars."

The Space Lift report further added that: "in an early phase of the
meetings, manned Mars expeditions were considered too expensive and risky to
adopt as a central goal for the civil space program"

However, Bush was said to being "urged to factor in future interplanetary
manned flight capabilities as part of the justification for a return to the
moon."

Lawmakers Tells NASA To Cool Its Jets On OSP
In separate developments the previous day, key members of Congress told NASA
in a letter made public Tuesday to delay the launch of its project for a new
spacecraft to carry gear and astronauts to the International Space Station.

"We are writing to express our deep concern with NASA's current approach to
the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) program," said the October 21 letter to NASA
chief Sean O'Keefe. It was signed by House Science Committee chairman
Sherwood Boehlert and ranking Democrat Ralph Hall.

The United States has not yet decided what its space program is to look
like, they said.

The White House has formed a committee to look into the space station and a
possible replacement for the space shuttle, after the Columbia broke up on
descent in February, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

"Therefore, neither the mission nor the benefits of the OSP are knowable at
this point," said the letter, of which AFP obtained a copy.

NASA has launched an OSP website. Posted are artists' renderings of
stubby-winged craft similar to the shuttle.

"NASA's Orbital Space Plane program has successfully completed its systems
requirements review to evaluate the concept design of the nation's next
space vehicle," the website said.

"NASA is proceeding with OSP development before we -- the Congress, the
White House and NASA -- have reached any agreement either on appropriate
NASA goals for human space flight beyond the International Space Station or
on the extent to which OSP is an appropriate approach to support those
goals," the letter said.

"It is even too soon to know whether OSP will significantly increase crew
safety for missions to low Earth orbit and we believe that any crewed
replacement vehicle will be judged by the extent to which it significantly
improves safety."

The lawmakers also said NASA's five-year budget plan for developing the new
vehicle was no longer credible.

Investigators into the Columbia disaster frequently pointed the finger at
tight NASA budgets.

"Prior human space flight projects at NASA have been plagued by problems
stemming from the unrealistic cost estimates put forth at their inception,"
the lawmakers said.

"We are not prepared to let budgetary gamesmanship damage another NASA
program."

They asked O'Keefe to shelve the project until it is approved by the White
House and by Congress.