NASA and Barack Obama's transition team on Friday disputed a report that suggests there is tension between them over a cost cutting. Due to this plan, some NASA projects that might be canceled. In a report by the Orlando Sentinel, it is said that NASA administrator Mike Griffin was not cooperating with Obama's team and that this fight came to a head last week, at the NASA library. Lori Garver, the head of Obama's NASA review team, seems to have had some misunderstandings with Griffin. However, Griffin told the media the report is supported by anonymous sources and hearsay so, therefore, it's wrong. An Obama transition aide also said that NASA officials have been mostly helpful over the past several weeks, and any issues are addressed with the White House.

It seems like Obama's team was asking last week how much money would be saved if NASA cancelled the Ares 1 rocket. This is a core component in the Constellation program's effort to return astronauts to the moon by 2020 and later send them to Mars. Of course, this might upset NASA and that's because the Ares 1 rocket is one of their most important projects.

In related news, NASA will host an Exploration Ground Launch Services Industry Day beginning at 9 a.m. in the Debus Conference Facility at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The purpose of this event is to familiarize aerospace industries with the bidding process for contracts to prepare the Ares 1 and Orion for launch. The ground launch services contract is scheduled to be awarded in the spring of 2010. Furthermore, this contract is worth millions of dollars and it will support thousands of jobs. Ares 1 will be a rocket that will provide flight to the International Space Station (ISS), after the space shuttles are retired in 2010.