posted 01-31-2009 12:20 PM               

The House on Wednesday rejected pleas from pro-NASA lawmakers to include up to $2 billion for space exploration and accelerated construction of the next generation of manned spacecraft. The measure, approved by a vote of 244 to 188, allotted just $50 million to NASA to repair Houston-area facilities damaged by Hurricane Ike, along with a half-billion dollars for non-space activities.

...NASA's prospects seem much brighter in the Senate, where astronaut-senator Bill Nelson, D-Fla., succeeded in inserting $1.5 billion in the Senate's version of the measure, including $500 million for the manned space program to shorten the five-year gap between the shuttle's retirement and the initial flight of its successor.

Other sections of the bill for NASA include $500 million for non-space activities, $250 million for aeronautical research and $250 million for repair of facilities worldwide, including those damaged by Ike.

Nelson, chairman of Senate panel that oversees NASA policy and a 1986 passenger aboard a space shuttle, is looking for "additional actions he can take to get more funds for NASA, particularly to reduce the gap in manned U.S. space operations," an aide said.

The Senate is expected to act on the economic stimulus package next week, and NASA's supporters think they have the votes to carry the day.

posted 02-07-2009 06:52 PM               

$50 million for NASA
$50 million for aeronautics
$50 million for exploration
$50 million for Cross Agency Support

The $1.5 billion for NASA that Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) advocated, including $500 million to reduce the Shuttle-Constellation gap, had [been] in the crosshairs of Ben Nelson, Susan Collins (R-ME), and other cutters. The compromise, though, leaves that $500 million intact, instead cutting $200 million of the $500 million sought for Earth sciences research.

posted 02-10-2009 08:17 AM               

And in that regard, SpacePolitics.com has an update:

While the topline figure remains the same as the previous compromise version, $1.3 billion, the $200 million cut from the original bill has since been distributed evenly across science, aeronautics, human spaceflight, and NASA facility repairs; previously the entire $200 million was going to come out of science. A Senate Appropriations Committee press release has similar numbers. What’s not clear is whether this was a change after the compromise version was announced Friday night, or if the original figures were in error.

posted 02-10-2009 03:09 PM               

The U.S. Senate passed an $838 billion economic stimulus package Tuesday that includes $1.3 billion for NASA -- more than double the amount the House approved Jan. 28 for the U.S. space agency in its version of the bill.

The Senate voted 61-37 on its version of the bill, which proposes spending $450 million to narrow the five-year gap between the scheduled 2010 retirement of the space shuttle and 2015 debut of its successor. The House put no money into addressing the gap.

Congressional negotiators now must hammer out differences between the Senate measure and the $819 billion House bill, which did not receive any Republican votes. President Barack Obama has said he hopes to have a final bill on his desk for signature by the President's Day federal holiday Feb. 16.

posted 02-12-2009 12:47 AM               

An aide to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida just popped off an e-mail that suggests an early read of a compromise stimulus bill includes at least $1 billion for NASA, including about $400 million for exploration. Presumably that money would go to NASA's Constellation program.

posted 02-12-2009 02:54 PM               

The compromise spending plan includes $400 million to narrow the gap between the planned 2010 retirement of the space shuttle and the first flight of its successor. The Senate measure had called for $450 million; the House version included no money for narrowing the gap.

NASA also would receive the House request of $400 million for Earth science and climate monitoring projects and $150 million for aeronautics under the compromise. The Senate had proposed spending $50 million more in each area.

The Senate bill had included $250 million to repair NASA facilities damaged by Hurricane Ike last summer, but the measure now headed for vote includes the House request for $50 million.

NASA's Inspector General's Office would receive $2 million, a figure that has remained unchanged from the House and Senate versions of the stimulus package.

posted 02-13-2009 05:00 PM               

quote:

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Originally posted by jasonelam:
What affect will this have, if any, on the budget or flight schedule for NASA?

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The statement does stipulate that NASA is directed to submit to Congress "a spending plan, signed by the Administrator, detailed its intended allocation of funds provided by this Act within 60 days of enactment of this Act." Given that NASA doesn’t have an administrator yet, and that it will probably be several weeks before one is in place (taking into account the time needed for the Senate to confirm whomever is nominated), how to spend that money is going to be among the next administrator’s first decisions.