NASA chief Charles Bolden vowed to produce a detailed plan to develop the technology needed to get astronauts to Mars after lawmakers blasted the agency鈥檚 lack of clear goals at a congressional hearing on Wednesday.
On 1 February, Bolden announced the president鈥檚 intention to cancel the Constellation programme, which was tasked with developing rockets and other hardware to return humans to the moon.
In the agency鈥檚 proposed 2011 budget, the White House did not specify where NASA would go instead but funded work on new technologies for space flight and encouraged the development of commercial space taxis to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.
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The new plan faced criticism from lawmakers on Wednesday at a hearing of the US Senate鈥檚 鈥� Bolden鈥檚 first congressional hearing since the plan was announced.
Solar system exploration
Subcommittee chairman Bill Nelson of Florida, a Democrat, said the proposal 鈥済ave the perception that the president was killing the manned space programme鈥� and left the agency鈥檚 new goals unclear. 鈥淭he president, either himself or through [the NASA] administrator needs to clearly state what the goal is,鈥� he said.
Bolden responded that Mars is 鈥渢he ultimate destination for human space exploration鈥�, and said that the agency would soon have a more detailed plan to develop the technology needed to get there. 鈥淲e鈥檒l develop a plan over the coming months,鈥� he said, insisting there had not been enough time since the announcement to create 鈥渁 complete plan on something as important as how we get deeper into the solar system鈥�.
Nelson did not reject the new plan outright, pointing to 鈥渕ore positive things鈥� within it, such as the funding boost for technology research and development.
Heavy-lift rocket
But he said he is concerned that there is relatively little money available in the new budget to develop a powerful 鈥渉eavy-lift鈥� rocket needed to send astronauts beyond low-Earth orbit.
In response, Bolden referred to the possibility of setting up fuel depots in orbit, which could enable smaller rockets to make trips beyond low-Earth orbit. But he also said the agency may eventually ramp up its investments in more powerful rockets. 鈥淭here will come a time when I will ask for more money on heavy lift,鈥� he said.
The new plan is just a proposal so far. It will be implemented only if Congress votes to approve the budget requested by the White House.
Getting that approval will be a challenge. Subcommittee member David Vitter of Louisiana, a Republican, said he would 鈥渇ight with every ounce of energy I have鈥� against the plan, which he said would 鈥渟urrender 鈥� our world leadership in this area鈥�.
Bolden is scheduled to appear before a committee of the US House of Representatives on Thursday.
