House and Senate appropriators draft NASA budgets
Posted: Thu, Apr 19, 2012, 7:19 AM ET (1119 GMT)
Appropriations committees in the US House of Representative and Senate have drafted spending bills that would fund NASA at close to the administration's request for 2013. A Senate appropriations subcommittee approved a spending bill Tuesday that would give NASA $19.4 billion in fiscal year 2013, but over $1.6 billion of that represents funding for weather satellite programs transferred from NOAA. Without the NOAA funding, the NASA budget is a little over $17.7 billion, and includes an additional $100 million for Mars science programs cut in the administration's proposal. On Wednesday, a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee released its spending bill that it will debate in a hearing Thursday morning. That bill would give NASA a little under $17.6 billion for 2013, and does not include the NOAA program transfer in the Senate bill. The House bill also sets aside $150 million to begin work on a Mars sample return effort, but only if the National Research Council finds such a mission is feasible. Both bills provide approximately full funding for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) spacecraft, and provide between $500 and 525 million for the agency's commercial crew program. Despite this early action, a final 2013 spending bill may not pass Congress until after the November elections.
Appropriations committees in the US House of Representative and Senate have drafted spending bills that would fund NASA at close to the administration's request for 2013. A Senate appropriations subcommittee approved a spending bill Tuesday that would give NASA $19.4 billion in fiscal year 2013, but over $1.6 billion of that represents funding for weather satellite programs transferred from NOAA. Without the NOAA funding, the NASA budget is a little over $17.7 billion, and includes an additional $100 million for Mars science programs cut in the administration's proposal. On Wednesday, a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee released its spending bill that it will debate in a hearing Thursday morning. That bill would give NASA a little under $17.6 billion for 2013, and does not include the NOAA program transfer in the Senate bill. The House bill also sets aside $150 million to begin work on a Mars sample return effort, but only if the National Research Council finds such a mission is feasible. Both bills provide approximately full funding for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) spacecraft, and provide between $500 and 525 million for the agency's commercial crew program. Despite this early action, a final 2013 spending bill may not pass Congress until after the November elections.
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