WASHINGTON — A White House-appointed panel tasked in May with reassessing the future of NASA’s human spaceflight program will hold a public teleconference Oct. 8 to finalize the “scoring of options” presented in a summary report to senior NASA and White House officials Sept. 8, according to an Oct. 2 NASA news release.

The panel, led by former Lockheed Martin chief Norm Augustine, held its final public meeting here Aug. 12 to wrap up its review of the U.S. space agency’s post-space shuttle space exploration plans.

NASA spokesman Robert “Doc” Mirelson said Oct. 2 the additional meeting will allow the 10-member panel to tie up loose ends before delivering a full report to senior White House and NASA leaders in mid-October.

“The meeting must be held on this date for the committee’s final report to support the time frame associated with the federal budget process,” the announcement states. “For this reason, it is not possible to accommodate the usual full public notice period. A notice in the Federal Register is expected to appear on or about Oct. 6.”