INTERN BLOG “NASA and NOAA” by: Stacy-ann Allen-Ramdial The House is back in session this week and the Committee held a markup on Tuesday and a hearing on Wednesday. I attended the markup on Tuesday for H.R. 4412, the “NASA Authorization Act of 2014.” This was my first time attending a Full Committee markup. Like the Subcommittee on Space’s markup of H.R. 4412 on April 9th, this full Committee Markup really demonstrates the effectiveness of bipartisan supported legislation. Because of significant collaboration among all parties involved, H.R. 4412 was approved and passed out of the Committee by voice vote. Having been approved by the Full Committee, the bill now heads to the floor of the House of Representatives. Even though I did not attend the hearing on Wednesday, I have the opportunity to watch it. The hearing on Wednesday was held by the Subcommittee on Environment to review the Fiscal Year 2015 budget request for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In attendance at this hearing was witness, Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Administrator of NOAA. I had never really paid much attention to the work of NOAA. Yes I watch the weather forecast and enjoy hearing announcements for unique celestial sightings, but that’s probably as in-depth a thought I’ve given to NOAA. However, after listening to Dr. Sullivan give a detailed explanation of the important work that NOAA does to support our communities and our environment, I have a new found appreciation for all the wonderful work the agency does. So next time, I have fish for dinner, get a weather alert or even walk pass the wine selection at the supermarket, I’ll think about NOAA’s valuable work. In addition to the markup and hearing, I’ve spent the rest of the week learning about space debris and space debris mitigation and the intricate legal and political issues associated with addressing this issue. What has grabbed my attention the most about this subject is the legal and political issues associated with initiating space debris removal. It all comes down to legal ownership. For example, when a “space object” becomes “space debris”, whether in whole or in part, the country that owns the original intact space object retains ownership of the fragment. As a result, attempts by countries to initiate space debris removal are restricted by the fact that legally no one can remove even a fragment, like a screw, if it belongs to another country. Isaac Newton said, “What goes up must come done,” but when it comes to “space debris” we have not decided when and how that stuff comes down.
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 19:11:02 +0000
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