I just hope and pray we don't have to go through a major hurricane strike and damage as a result of lessons, predictability in order to get the money for this new satellite.

Let's go back to the gap, which you now say is going to be early Fiscal Year 2015.

Is the Administration's FY 2008 budget request sufficient to support full implementation of the missions recommended by the National Academy's decadal survey in Earth science?

And that is that you are going to pick up some efficiencies by virtue of the fact that your selection of the contractor for the CEV is going to have some savings.

This Committee isn't going to wait around very long, because of information that we have received ex parte about the subject of this investigation.

I believe those decisions have forced Dr. Griffin to make the kinds of painful choices we are hearing about from the scientific community.

What are the strategic implications of this 4-year-plus gap in our Nation's ability to send humans into space?

I would encourage you to move with deliberate speed so that we can see, and the people's representatives on this Committee can do our own examination, by receiving that report.

I want to point out to those that are listening that the Administrator has said early Fiscal Year 2015.

NASA's outside auditors have been unable to certify NASA's financial statements.

I can assure you that we are absolutely not, and will not, restrict the ability of anybody working at NASA to express their technical opinion.