House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee to Examine NASA Aeronautics Program Tomorrow

WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the response of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences on how NASA should run its civil aeronautics research and development (R&D) program. The hearing is a follow-up to a Subcommittee hearing on July 18, 2006, which took testimony from four witnesses representing industry, academia, and the National Academy of Sciences on two reports recently published by the Academy – Aeronautics Innovation: NASA’s Challenges and Opportunities, published in early May; and the first ever Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics: Foundation for the Future, published in early June.

Specifically, the hearing will explore the following overarching questions:

1. What should the goals, strategies and activities be for NASA’s aeronautics R&D program?

2. What should NASA be doing to ensure that its research is relevant to the long-term needs of industry and is used by industry? What should NASA be doing to help keep the academic research enterprise healthy and to ensure an adequate supply of aeronautics engineers and researchers?

Tuesday September 26, 2006
Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics – Hearing
The National Academy of Sciences’ Decadal Plan for Aeronautics: NASA’s Response
10:00am – 12:00pm
2318 Rayburn House Office Building

Witnesses

Dr. Lisa Porter has been serving as NASA Associate Administrator for Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate since October 2005. She previously worked at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Dr. Porter received her doctorate in applied physics from Stanford University. Gen. William Hoover (Air Force, retired) was co-chair of the National Academy of Sciences’ Steering Committee that produced the report: Decadal Survey of Civil Aeronautics: Foundation for the Future.

The hearing charter, which provides detailed background information on the hearing, is available on the Science Committee website. Member opening statements and witness testimony will be posted to the website at the start of the hearing.