Committee on Science
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman
Ralph M. Hall, Texas, Ranking Democrat
www.house.gov/science/welcome.htm
June 19, 2000
Press Contact:
Jeff Lungren (Jeff.Lungren@mail.house.gov)
(202) 225-4275
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Hearing Tomorrow with NASA Administrator Goldin on Mars Program Failures
WHAT: Full Committee hearing on NASA’s Mars Program after
the Young Report, Part II
WITNESSES:
The Honorable Daniel S. Goldin, Administrator, National
Aeronautics and Space Administration
Dr. Edward Stone, Director, Jet Propulsion
Laboratory
Dr. Pedro Rustan, Colonel (retired), U.S.
Air Force
Dr. Alan Binder, Director, Lunar Research
Institute
WHEN: 1:00 PM
WHERE: 2318 Rayburn Building, Washington
DATE: TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2000
Tomorrow’s Full Committee hearing continues the Committee’s look into NASA’s
Mars program and the mission failures last year. Last September, NASA’s
Mars Climate Orbiter mission failed due to one project group using English
units and one using metric units. Three months later, NASA’s Mars Polar
Lander was lost as well. A blue-ribbon panel established by NASA
Administrator Dan Goldin reviewed these losses, estimated at $328 million,
and issued a report. Panel Chair Tom Young testified before the Committee
in April on his findings of numerous management lapses and poor
decisionmaking throughout the Mars program, including a failure to
thoroughly test the mission flight environment. Tomorrow’s hearing,
originally scheduled for May 11th, provides Committee Members their first
opportunity to review NASA’s plans to address the management shortcomings
identified in the Young report.
Please contact the Science Committee’s press office at 202-225-4275 for more
information.
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