NASA’s safety advisory panel says private industry is not ready to carry people into space. In opposing a key recommendation of President Obama’s space advisers, the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel said no private rocket manufacturer is qualified for human passengers.

In its annual report, the panel said relying on private industry to carry astronauts into space would be “unwise and probably not cost-effective.” The group said NASA needs to establish standards and certification procedures for private spacecraft that carry humans.

In October a presidentially appointed advisory committee headed by former Lockheed Martin CEO Norman Augustine urged NASA to open its manned space program to private contractors after the space shuttles stop flying later this year.

The administration has not yet stated a policy for manned space travel.

GSA has migrated four training-related SINs previously under Schedule 69 (Training Aids & Devices, Instructor-Led Training; Course Development; Test Administration) to Schedule 874 (MOBIS). Training services and products are now included in revised MOBIS SINs 874-4 and 874-5, and new MOBIS SINs 874-8 and 874-9. Go to http://vsc.gsa.gov/MOBISFAQ.pdf for more information on the migration.