Democratic takeover could mean boost for NASA's climate science

With the help of the House in Democrats' grasp, one possible major policy shift on the horizon for NASA watchers is a renewed emphasis on the space agency .

The Science, Space and Technology Committee, now chaired by retiring Republican Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, a skeptic, is likely to rejuvenate the issue through oversight hearings and budget deliberations if party control flips, predicts Rep. Don Beyer, to Virginia Democrat.

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"I think that the Democrats take back the House and take over the Science, Space and Technology Committee, we will maintain a strong emphasis on earth science," Beyer says. "It was NASA that figured out that climate change was an issue in the first place."

Beyer, who entered Congress in 2015 and served on the panel's space subcommittee Wide Field Infrared Survey TelescopeA space telescope set to launch in the mid-2020s to search for planets beyond our solar system.

"It really does not matter in the latest NASA authorization," Beyer said. "That's one thing that was high priority of the astrophysics community that did not get enough attention, so I will push back on that."

NASA programs, the relationship between the United States and Russia in space, and NASA's ambitious agenda.

This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you end up on the House Space Subcommittee?

When I first got a chance to put down the committees I [wanted to be] We're going to get you down and you'll know you'll never get a freshman. I raised my hand for Science, Space, and Technology just because I had always been fascinated by science and the difference.

Among the science subcommittees, Space is the one that's most interesting and exciting. I was 11 or 12 years old when [former President] John Kennedy made his speech at Rice University about going to the moon by the end of the decade and I was 19 years old when we actually did it. So this has been … a part of my whole life.

[I was eager about] the chance to provide oversight to NASA and learn about the big picture science issues, [like] dark energy, dark matter, gravitational waves, or even the little things. I do not think I knew … that we were using [before coming to the committee.] It's been a wonderful education for me.

What would you like to see the subcommittee focus on the next Congress?

I think it's really important to stay on track for Mars … so when the last [NASA Administrator Charles] Bolden was before the space subcommittee a year or two ago … I asked him what the constancy of purpose at NASA was. Without hesitation he said Mars.

As we live, we need to be constantly inspired … Right now Mars is that remote objective that could change the way we understand our planet and even our humanity. That I think is the biggest picture.

More immediately, it's going to be really important to keep the focus on our science. We need to get the James Webb Space Telescope launched … The WFIRST [Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope] is one of the highest priorities in the decadal survey. NASA authorization, but we need to really refocus on that. What's going to help on what's going on?

There are a lot of important pieces. What happens to the space station? Does it go through 2025 or 2030? Can we really make it work for the long run?

We'll always keep this focus on planetary research … We've got a little controversial. In the last Congress, there was a move to take [Environmental Protection Agency] without any funding. NASA is the only one that can do that job.

How can the Congress have better oversight of programs like the Space Launch System and the James Webb Space Telescope, both of which are behind schedule and over budget?

I think the [Government Accountability Office] We do not ask them, we do not ask them, we do not ask them, we do not want them, we do not want them.

During the recent oversight hearing on JWST, I ended up being fairly defensive about it. Even though it's going to be $ 9 billion total [and finished] in 2021 or 2022 – that 's when they started in 1996, when it was going to be $ 500 million and be ready in 2002 – the science is so incredibly different. We did not know about dark energy or dark matter then. We had no idea how far back you could go into the universe. What we're asking James Webb to do is far, far greater than we thought about even asking when the project started. So the scope of the science is very, very different. No one in the world has ever done this before. It's hard to predict what it's going to cost if you've never tried it.

We do not get any second chances … You'd hate to spend [billions of] dollars and have a couple bolts shake lose an hour in the air and have wasted all of that. Better to spend a little bit more money, take a little bit more time and maximize the chance you're going to get it right.

If Democrats win the House, how will the committee focus shift?

Two or three years ago, I very much felt there was a move by our chairman [Rep.] Lamar Smith to almost defund the earth science parts of NASA. literally, [they were trying to move the mission] to the [Environmental Protection Agency] NASA authorization package we passed the earth science almost in total … We do not know whether the Republicans understood that with the increasing evidence of climate change, we need to keep But it was encouraging.

I think that the Democrats take back the House and take over the Science, Space and Technology Committee, we will maintain a strong emphasis on earth science. It was NASA that figured out that climate change was an issue in the first place.

I also think one of the priorities …[for Democrats will be to] push for sustained long-term funding. One of the complaints from NASA over the years is running hot runs and then runs cold in terms of funding. All of us … like predictability … so we can plan effectively.

Do you think there is enough support in Congress to fund NASA's exploration goals?

Yes, I think so. I obviously think it will be bipartisan. There will be a lot of people in the world, [like] hunger, housing and healthcare that demand government resources.

But, if you figure the incredible size of budget and NASA's $ 19 billion … It's a small fraction of 1 percent of the federal budget to satisfy the greater human aspirations for exploration [and] for science that's really valuable.

Also, I do not know how to have a catastrophist. some alternatives to Earth. If we're not reaching out, we cut off that possibility. None of those things are easy. We're not just going to move mankind to Mars. But look how far we've come in the last 100 years. The next 100 years could bring dramatically new opportunities for us. I think covering our bets is a really wise thing.

What are your priorities in space?

The biggest priority WFIRST … mostly because it's really got the shorts in the latest NASA authorization. That's one thing that was a high priority of the astrophysics community that did not get enough attention, so I will push back on that.

The other thing I'm really concerned about the whole space debris issue. There are 20,000 human-made objects in orbit. A lot are really small, so it's analogous to the issue of plastics in the Indian Ocean. As we are putting more and more things into space, especially in low-earth orbit, we do not understand how best to manage the debris problem. That's an important new area for us to really get into.

And all the while, we're getting ready for Mars. Having the commercial folks out there [Galactic] gold [Blue Origin owned by Jeff] Elon Musk Gold Bezos [at SpaceX]provide counterexamples and stimulus for NASA research. I think it all makes for this much better understanding. If Elon Musk can get to Mars before NASA does, that's okay, we'll learn from that.

Are you concerned geopolitical events could degrade the relationship between U.S. and Russia?

It's certainly a possibility that it would be really unfortunate. So far it does not seem to have degraded. I've asked every one of the astronauts I've met who has flown on the space station about the relationship with the Russians and they've been nothing but praise about the camaraderie and cooperation.

My sense is the relationship with Russia, but we are very much in the position of being in Syria. We need to continue to do that. This is one of those areas where we can hopefully also hope for the future.