[NEIU Physics Students] FYI #102: Senate Votes to Increase FY08 NASA Funding

[Gregory W. Anderson]

FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 102: October 10, 2007
Web version: http://www.aip.org/fyi/2007/102.html

Filling the Breach: Senate Adds $1 Billion to FY 2008 NASA Budget
Bill

The Senate has started its consideration of the FY 2008 Commerce,
Justice, Science Appropriations Bill.  During the first day of
debate, the Senate agreed to add $1.0 billion to the NASA budget
to restore funding that had been reallocated from the
"Exploration Capabilities" and "Science, Aeronautics, and
Exploration" accounts.  Debate on the now $56 billion bill will
continue when the Senate returns to Washington next week.

The $1 billion amendment had wide, bipartisan support.  Commerce,
Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman Barbara
Mikulski (D-MD), and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) were the
sponsors of the bill, and were joined by Appropriations
Subcommittee Ranking Member Richard Shelby (R-AL) and ten
Democratic and Republican senators.

Mikulski told her colleagues:"The goals of the amendment are
clear.  It maintains our commitment to safe, reliable, and robust
human spaceflight.  It keeps us on track for the next reliable
space transportation vehicle and maintains our commitment to
scientific discovery."  She recounted how after the Space Shuttle
Columbia accident in 2003, NASA foraged funds from other accounts
to repair and upgrade the safety of  the remaining shuttles.
These upgrades cost more than $2 billion.  Added Hutchinson, "The
accounts for NASA have been drained.  We have drained from
science, we have drained from the Hubble telescope, and we have
drained from other aeronautics research to fund the Columbia
accident [commission] report and safeguards, and we have not
moved forward for the crew-return vehicle."

NASA moved almost $100 million from the science and aeronautics
budget.  Shelby described the result: "Science funding has been
cut significantly, and programs not directly associated with the
exploration vision [Moon, Mars and beyond] are being deferred,
delayed, or canceled.  By showing down cutting-edge science
carried out by NASA, we are mortgaging our future.  The
foundation for technological leadership and the successes of
tomorrow are built on the investments that we make in NASA
today."

There is much consternation about what is now projected to be a
five year gap between the retirement of the space shuttle system
in 2010, and its replacement by new vehicles (Ares and Orion) in
2015.  In the intervening years, U.S. astronauts would fly to the
space station on Russian spacecraft.  "This is not acceptable,"
said Mikulski.  It is estimated that the additional funding
provided by this amendment would cut two years off the
replacement schedule.  Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) commented: "It
behooves us, for the sake of our independence, our sovereignty,
our ability to be in control and the destiny of this magnificent
laboratory up in space, that we could accelerate the time where
this gap was going to exist.  It is going to be there no matter
what we do, but we can shorten it.  I believe if we shorten it by
a couple of years, that would be in our best interests."

After about an hour of discussion, during which no one spoke
against the amendment, Mikulski secured passage of the amendment
by a legislative process known as unanimous consent.   The
position that the Bush Administration will take regarding this
amendment is unknown; it has already threatened a veto of the
less-costly House version of this bill.
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Richard M. Jones
Media and Government Relations Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi at aip.org    http://www.aip.org/gov
(301) 209-3095
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