Congress may slash NASA budget

yree · Jul 21, 2004

The cuts came on the 35th anniversary of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon and drew howls from the administration, a top House Republican and interest groups. That made it seem likely that at least some money, especially for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, will be restored. http://www.indystar.com/articles/7/164065-1837-010.html

starfhury · Jul 21, 2004

What she said. This is utterly disgusting if not akin to treachery. Any serious company knows R&D is key to the future and future profitability. NASA encourages R&D. Clobbering NASA's budget is sabotage plain and simple. It's up to private industry to take the lead and make space travel a reality. NASA can't be counted on because Congress can't be counted on. My faith in NASA and government doing the right thing in regards to space exploration and development has tumbled completely off the precipice. Private industry all the way. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

mah_fl · Jul 21, 2004

My very first thought when Bush made the announcement was "where is the money coming from, and is this just really an election gimmick?"................

erauskydiver · Jul 21, 2004

"I can only hope the Senate gets to vote on this and cuts something expendable like missile defense or JSF first." I dont consider myself or my job to be expendable. I cant really speak for missle defense, but the USMC desperately needs a new STOVL aircraft. So while I am a huge supporter of pumping NASA full of cash, I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one.

lunatic133 · Jul 21, 2004

Phoenix ... does it really have to be Phoenix? Great, now I have a personal loyalties crisis on my hands as well x_X

yree · Jul 21, 2004

A Senate subcommittee is expected to vote Thursday on a bill that would allow NASA to get the funding it says it needs to carry out President Bush's vision of sending humans back to the moon and onward to Mars. However, a move in the House to cut NASA's 2005 budget by $1.1 billion could put the vision on hold indefinitely. The Senate bill, known as the NASA Authorization Act of 2004, would allow Congress to set aside between $16.2 billion and $17.7 billion per year for the next five years for the space agency. That amounts to a minimum $866 million increase over NASA's current annual budget. http://www.wired.com/news/space/0,2697,64288,00.html

lunatic133 · Jul 21, 2004

I just e-mailed three of my congressmen and one senator; all the ones who had easy to find e-mail on their pages that did not require that you live in their particular district. I will send them all snail mail tomorrow morning (now I sadly must leave for work) and call them when I have the chance, possibly during my lunch hour. We will not give in without a fight!

silylene old · Jul 21, 2004

emailing my Senator (I'm in MA) would do no good, he is off campaigning and has missed almost every vote in Congress in the last two years. I plan to email my reps, as useless as it is. But their vote almost always goes according to this priority list: #1 more pork; #2 democrat partisan line; #3 their real opinion. So I need to learn how the space program would bring more pork to my homestate...then email them as to convince them on this basis why they should vote to support it. My cynicism is deep-rooted. Sorry about that. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center">I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function. </div> </div>

radarredux · Jul 21, 2004

Here are some snail mail addresses and phone numbers for the top two Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate Authorization and Appropriation committees. I have heard that congressmen are less apt to respond to email as they are to letters and phone calls. Remember, it is the appropriationssubcomittees that determine what money you have and authorizationcommittees that determine what you are allowed to do. House Authorization Subcommittee Rep. Dana Rohrabacher 2338 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2415 Rep. Nick Lampson 405 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-6565 Senate Authorization Subcommittee Senator Sam Brownback 303 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Phone: (202) 224-6521 Senator John Breaux 503 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-4623 House Appropriations Subcommittee Rep. James Walsh 2369 Rayburn Building Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-3701 Rep. Alan B. Mollohan 2302 Rayburn House Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4172 Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond 274 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510 (202) 224-5721 Senator Barbara Mikulski 709 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-4654

blacknebula · Jul 21, 2004

"To me, that's unacceptable, and it would be very hard to get this bill to the floor if it's unacceptable to me," said House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, whose Houston-area district is near NASA's Johnson Space Center. Sounds like good news to me. House Republicans have a loyalty to the party and will not go against their majority leader.

radarredux · Jul 21, 2004

For what is is worth, here is the current draft (HTML followed by PDF) of the Senate's NASA Authorization Act of 2004: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c108:S.2541: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=108_cong_bills&docid=f:s2541is.txt.pdf

aaron38 · Jul 21, 2004

I read in the paper this morning that the Senate just passed a $301 Billion highway bill. $301 Billion for roads and $15 Billion for NASA??????

wvbraun · Jul 21, 2004

A House appropriations subcommitte made the cuts. The senate wants to fully fund NASA. Details here.

wvbraun · Jul 21, 2004

I read that, too. There is still hope, I have my fingers crossed.

lunatic133 · Jul 21, 2004

Indeed. I asked Dr. Zubrin what his thoughts were this afternoon, but he didn't seem so concerned. He merely shrugged and said "Typical. But the senate approved the full amount, so it's not over yet." I also got a letter in return from Congressman Udall, who was the last person I expected to get a reply from. To my surprise, however, he did reply, and said that he supported the new vision fully but was waiting to hear more details about it before fully funding it. That's fair I suppose and a whole lot better than nothing, although NASA had better take a hint and provide more details. BTW did anything ever come of the rumor that Bush is finally planning to defend the vision he set into motion?

radarredux · Jul 21, 2004

> I asked Dr. Zubrin what his thoughts were this afternoon, but he didn't seem so concerned./i> Indeed, the road ahead does seem long, and I (and much of the pundits) believe that final word may not occur until after the election. Likewise, O'Keefe seemed fairly relaxed about the issue during a Q&A session on NASA TV today. Perhaps we got a little wound up, but this may have been a good thing. It reminds us that we must not be idle. /> BTW did anything ever come of the rumor that Bush is finally planning to defend the vision he set into motion?/i> I haven't found anything, but on NASA TV today (off and on all day) there has been a shin-dig for the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronauts (recorded last night?). The President's science advisor John Marburger said a few words.

halman · Jul 21, 2004

RadarRedux, Perhaps the most important thing, in my opinion, is to remind our honorable leaders that the age of scientific exploration has passed, and we are now in an era of DEVELOPMENT. We seek not to learn about the formation of the Moon and planets, but to create new industries, for the betterment of all. Scientific exploration is a game only the rich can play. Creating new industries in the wilderness is how the United States became rich. We have squandered our wealth on shopping malls and office towers, but we still have the ability to turn barren, airless worlds into places where people can live and work, extracting valuable resources and using them to create even more valuable products. We must remind these people wrapped up in the day-to-day struggle of governing that the future will not be ours without investing in it. And delay means that we have less money available to invest. If we put this off long enough, there will be NO money to invest. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>

robotical · Jul 21, 2004

This is one time in the last few years that I really hope the Republicans pull through. We need a visionary program, especially at a time like this. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

thecolonel · Jul 21, 2004

I see many of the same sentiments down here in Houston. The day after turned out to not be so bad. The wheels are turning to try to figure out how to get this stuff done regardless of what congress' decision will eventually be. To paraphrase, the attitude is: "Yeah, I'm not surprised. This has happened before with congress and funding, but this time it doesn't matter we've already decided to make a paradigm shift."

lunatic133 · Jul 21, 2004

Although don't think the community is taking this lightly. Although he seemed ho-hum about it at work today, he wrote the following in a Mars Society newsletter: Call Congress Now to Support Moon and Mars Exploration July 21, 2004 for further information about the Mars Society, visit our website at www.marssociety.org. At this critical moment, you need to show your support for human space exploration by taking action. Yesterday, July 20, the House Appropriations subcommittee in charge of civil space recommended that NASA's budget be cut by 7% from requested levels. That's a cut of over $1 billion, with the new human Moon and Mars exploration budget taking the worst hits. This is unacceptable. But it is not over yet. There is another meeting of the full committee that can review this first recommendation on Thursday, and it is essential that you let them know how you feel. What can you do? Call Congress today or tomorrow, especially if you are a constituent of the representatives on the committee. Tell them that you support full funding of the NASA fiscal year budget request. The House switchboard is: 202-225-3121. They can connect you to any the office of any representative. First, look over the list below, and make sure to call your representative if you see them on the list. But call regardless! There is very little time and we must act fast. The members of the committee are listed below. Call now. It's not too late to turn this decision around. Tell them you want all NASA requested funds for initiating human exploration of the Moon and Mars restored to the budget. The American space program needs a goal, and that goal needs to be humans to Mars. Without setting our sights on such a goal, and starting work, we will have still mo

halman · Jul 22, 2004

lunatic133, Write one letter, change the addressee. All it has to say is words to the effect of, "I strongly believe that the future of this nation depends upon our expanding our frontiers. Right now, the greatest return for our dollar appears to be in developing the Moon. Your support is essential in making the future worth living for." If you REALLY want to impress the person in question, send the letter Federal Express Overnight. If every person who reads these words sends a letter to their respective Congresspeople, the funding will almost certainly be increased. It means nothing to gripe about what is happening. DO something about it! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>

lunatic133 · Jul 22, 2004

I've already sent e-mails but I've heard e-mail isn't particularly impressive so I'm working on snail mail too ... unfortunately the delivery takes a long time. But I AM working on it. I also want to make phone calls just to say I've done everything I can think of. Curse this not being home during working hours, ever. Heeeeey, I DO have the day off tomorrow ... and tomorrow's the day I get my new cell phone. Do I sense a sign from above?

radarredux · Jul 22, 2004

I realize that the current numbers are preliminary and there is a long road ahead, but I am still trying to get a handle on some of the cuts. Some other data points (and questions) in the funding cuts identified by the Orland Sentinel and the House press release. ISS cut $120 million. What specifically does this mean? Is this just savings because of limited shuttle launches for 2005, or has something specific been taken off the table? Lunar robotic mission cut $70 million. Does this mean LRO has been put on hold for one year? CEV cut $438 million. Project Prometheus / JIMO cut $230 million. SLI cut $100 million. I was under the impression that the controversial Kistler sole-source contract came out of this pot; is that now dead? I was also under the impression that some of the CEV efforts was being funded under savings from this; if so, is this another cut into the CEV? QUESTION: So far I can only find the "highlights" of the VA/HUD appropriations bill. I cannot find the actual bill itself. Does anyone know where the full details can be found?

radarredux · Jul 22, 2004

> the future will not be ours without investing in it./i> Oooh. Good line. /> And delay means that we have less money available to invest. If we put this off long enough, there will be NO money to invest./i> You aren't kidding. The Senate has an interesting web page on the percentage of the budget that goes for mandated entitlement, interest on debt, and all other areas (discretionary). The upshot is that by 2006, only 27% of the budget is negotiable. The other 76% is fixed. Also of interesting note is that by 2006 the interest payments in debt will be $209 billion -- almost 14 times NASA's budget. Tax cuts without spending cuts is really a tax increase on all future budgets. Of course, as baby boomers hit retirement, the entitlement program is really going to balloon. Thus, by 2010 or so, the discretionary programs like NASA, DOD, and highway funds will be fighting for scraps. http://appropriations.senate.gov/budgetprocess/budgetprocess.htm

SpaceKiwi · Jul 22, 2004

As a non-American I am not entirely familiar with the political process, but I get the impression from what I've read that this is just the initial "negotiating" position that has been expressed. Isn't it now a case of the proposed budget being kicked around by the various interested parties (White House, Congress, lobby groups, constituents) before actioning the final figure? I am disappointed at these cuts though, especially to the CEV funding. Time is a-wasting, and that is the vehicle giving the US an initial manned capability beyond the Shuttle's expiration date. Granted it is likely the decomissioning date will move past 2010 now in recognition of the RTF delays. I sure hope it doesn't become another vehicle that becomes nothing more than a fancy acronym, before being cancelled. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Who is this superhero? Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bring Back The Black! </div>

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