posted 02-14-2011 11:04 AM               

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden together with Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Robinson will provide more details during a 1 p.m. CST news briefing to be aired on NASA TV.

The NASA budget and supporting information will be available on the agency's website beginning at 12:30 p.m.

According to a summary released by the Administration this morning:

• Provides $18.7 billion, the same amount the agency received in 2010. Funding focuses on areas that will improve the Nation's space capabilities, strengthen our competitive edge, and prepare the next generation of leaders in the field. The Budget also proposes to streamline operations and boost efficiencies at facilities.

• Maintains the Nation's commitment to humanity's foothold in space -- the International Space Station -- bringing nations together in a common pursuit of knowledge and excellence.

• Initiates development of a heavy-lift rocket and crew capsule to carry explorers beyond Earth's orbit, including a mission to an asteroid next decade -- the furthest journey in human history.

• Embraces partnership with the commercial space industry and the thousands of new jobs that it can create by contracting with American companies to provide astronaut transportation to the Space Station -- thus reducing the risk of relying exclusively on foreign crew transport capabilities.

• Supports groundbreaking innovations by continuing a program of robotic solar system exploration and new astronomical observatories, including a probe that will fly through the Sun's atmosphere and a new competitively-selected planetary science mission.

• Supports a robust and diverse fleet of Earth observation spacecraft to strengthen U.S. leadership in the field, better understand climate change, improve future weather predictions, and provide vital environmental data to Federal, State, and local policymakers.

• Sharpens the focus of the aeronautics research program by emphasizing enhancing aviation safety and airspace efficiency, and reducing the environmental impact of aviation.

• Initiates a pilot program to provide NASA Centers and surrounding communities with clean energy through the innovative use of NASA property.

posted 02-14-2011 01:00 PM               

• FY 2012 Budget Overview (3.8 MB PDF)
  
• FY 2012 Complete Budget Estimates (8.2 MB PDF)
  
• Budget Briefing Presentation, Feb. 14, 2011 (1 MB PDF)

NASA Announces Fiscal Year 2012 Budget

NASA announced Monday an $18.7 billion budget request for fiscal year 2012 that supports a reinvigorated path of innovation, technological development and scientific discovery. The budget supports all elements of NASA's 2010 Authorization Act, which was passed by a strong bipartisan majority of Congress and signed into law by President Obama.

"This budget requires us to live within our means so we can invest in our future," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. "It maintains our commitment to human spaceflight and provides for strong programs to continue the outstanding science, aeronautics research and education needed to win the future."

The NASA budget includes $4.3 billion for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station programs, $5 billion for science, $3.9 billion for future exploration systems and $569 million for aeronautics research.

"This budget demonstrates the administration's commitment to maintaining NASA's leadership role in space," Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "It puts us on a path to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world."

The budget supports the transition of the space shuttle program's workforce and facilities when the fleet retires this year after 30 years of service. Among the program's many historic accomplishments is the construction of the International Space Station. The station will operate until at least 2020, allowing NASA to fully use it as a technology test-bed and national laboratory for human health research. While continuing to work with its international partners on station activities, NASA will select a non-profit organization to stimulate, develop and manage research activities on the U.S. portion of the station.

NASA has prioritized funding for its partnership with the commercial space industry to facilitate crew and cargo transport to the station. Companies will innovate to provide safe, reliable and cost effective access to low Earth orbit. NASA also will invest in the flight systems to take humans beyond low Earth orbit, including a deep space capsule and heavy lift rocket, and key research and technology to enable the long journeys.

NASA's science budget supports new missions and continued operations of the many observatories successfully studying Earth and space. The agency will launch the Mars Science Laboratory in fiscal year 2012 and continue work on a wide range of astrophysics, heliophysics and Earth science missions.

The 2012 budget request continues NASA's commitment to enhancing aviation safety and airspace efficiency, and reducing the environmental impact of aviation. NASA also remains dedicated to developing the next generation of technology leaders through vital programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

"We had to make some tough choices, but the budget gives us a plan for sustainable and affordable exploration," said NASA's Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Robinson. "We're looking at new ways of doing business that improve program management and delivers even greater results to the American taxpayers."

posted 02-14-2011 08:58 PM               

I say unfortunate because no matter which direction you favor, it continues to leave NASA in limbo.

posted 02-15-2011 06:40 AM            

Really is hard to get excited about it. But don't blame Mr. Bolden, blame the man in the White House for not giving his agency a credible destination beyond ISS. And especially blame the men and women on Capitol Hill who only ever think of the next election.

posted 02-16-2011 09:36 AM               

So NASA now receives 0.5% of the total budget. During the height of the Apollo program NASA had 5% of the budget, and even in the late 70's it received 1% of the total (which would be $37 billion now).

While $18.7 billion is not a small sum, NASA is trying to do more with less. On top of that, NASA is hampered by congressional earmarks and attempts by Congress to design rockets (such as in the NASA authorization bill).

There are positive aspects about the proposed NASA budget but it does not provide enough money for the heavy lift rocket development. There is no way that such a rocket will be ready by 2016 as Congress requested.

posted 07-07-2011 09:27 AM               

The $16.8 billion top-line figure, released July 6 in draft legislation from the House Appropriations commerce, justice, science subcommittee, is nearly $2 billion less than U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2012 budget request for NASA.

The draft appropriations bill, which the subcommittee is scheduled to vote on July 7, also includes $1.95 billion for the Space Launch System — the heavy-lift rocket Congress ordered NASA to build for deep space exploration. The proposed 2012 funding level is $150 million more than the heavy lifter got for 2011, but some $700 million below the amount recommended in the NASA Authorization Act of 2010, which became law in October.

posted 07-08-2011 01:22 AM              

I do not agree that rollback of support for CCDev makes any sense whatsoever, unless we want to continue paying the Russians $40 million a pop (or whatever the number is) for that many more years. It's just penny-wise and pound foolish. And we must continue to invest in new technologies that are the only hope of leading to breakthroughs that are essential to the future of human spaceflight. And, for what it's worth, I think to cut all those programs in order to fund the "Senate Launch System", which is basically a jobs program that will repeat many of the mistakes of Shuttle (a vehicle in search of a mission), I find the current House budget proposal both cynical and foolish.

posted 08-14-2011 06:19 PM               

I think it will go ahead though. Far to much has been invested and I suspect it is posturing, which will end in some kind of bargaining. Sad state of affairs for sure.

posted 09-15-2011 06:19 AM               

The additional funding for JWST amounts to a 40 percent increase for the project and is part of a 2012 spending bill approved Sept. 14 by the Senate Appropriations commerce, justice, science subcommittee. Overall, the subcommittee’s bill would provide NASA with a total of $17.9 billion for 2012. That is about $500 million less than the agency got for 2011 and $800 million less than what U.S. President Barack Obama sought for NASA in the 2012 budget request he sent Congress in February.

The Webb telescope, which was marked for cancellation in the $16.8 billion NASA spending bill the House Appropriations Committee approved in July, would receive $530 million next year under the Senate’s bill — about 40 percent more than the $374 million the Obama administration included for the project in its 2012 request.

The Senate subcommittee, by a margin of 15 to 1, voted to send its spending bill to the full committee after a markup that lasted only about 20 minutes. The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to take up the bill Sept. 15.

posted 09-15-2011 06:38 AM              

American Astronomical Society Executive Officer Kevin Marvel, who is obligated to support astronomers in heliophysics and planetary science, isn’t yet sure if this is a good thing. "It’s obviously a hopeful sign," he says. "But we need to understand what the extra addition means. We’re concerned about offsets to other divisions."

posted 09-18-2011 08:18 AM               

Overall NASA’s budget would drop to $17.9 billion — a $510 million reduction — if the Senate version of the 2012 Commerce Justice Science Appropriations bill becomes law.

While that is roughly $1 billion more than NASA would get under the House version adopted in July, it would leave the agency with its smallest budget since 2009...

NASA’s other science programs were largely spared in the Senate’s hunt for more money for JWST, which stands to get $530 million next year, or about 40 percent more than NASA budgeted. But the agency’s nascent Space Technology program was not so lucky, losing nearly $400 million from its $1 billion request.

NASA’s human space exploration budget would remain essentially flat for 2012, with $1.8 billion carved out for the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and $1.2 billion designated for its companion Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. The bill would cap total spending on SLS and Orion at $17 billion through 2017, the year NASA plans to conduct the launch system’s first unmanned test flight.

NASA’s Commercial Crew program, which is fostering development of private space taxis for the international space station, would be funded next year at the $500 million level Congress approved in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. While about $300 million of that amount would be available right away, the balance would be withheld until NASA shows that it is making good on its Sept. 14 promise to get to work on SLS.

posted 11-02-2011 10:19 AM               

Space News reports that the decreased budget and full funding for JWST will delay other NASA science missions.

NASA science missions slated to launch several years from now, however, will not be so lucky.

"The impacts being assessed in Science would delay some future missions, which are currently planned for launch beyond 2015."

posted 11-15-2011 11:42 AM               

The NASA funding, which is $684 million below the agency's 2011 level and $924 million less than the White House requested, is part of a must-pass spending package Congress is poised to adopt by Nov. 18.

The package, a so-called minibus combining three previously separate spending bills into one, was hammered out during a legislative conference committee House and Senate appropriators convened Nov. 3. Lawmakers included in the minibus a clean four-week extension of the so-called continuing resolution that has kept the federal government operating since the new budget year began Oct. 1. Congress must pass this legislation by Nov. 18 to prevent a government shutdown.

According to a summary of the final conference report posted Nov. 14 on the House Appropriations Committee's website, the $17.8 billion for NASA would break down as follows:

• $3.8 billion for Space Exploration, which is $30 million below the 2011 level. This includes funding above NASA's request to meet congressionally mandated deadlines for the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle.

• $4.2 billion for Space Operations, which is $1.3 billion below the 2011 level.

• $5.1 billion for Science programs, or about $155 million above the 2011 level. This includes additional funding for the overbudget James Webb Space Telescope program that will be offset by "commensurate reductions in other programs.

posted 11-15-2011 08:39 PM               

NASA's Commercial Crew Program, which is fostering development of astronaut taxis for the international space station, stands to get $406 million in 2012, less than half of the $850 million the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama requested for the program this year, and $94 million less than Congress authorized.

Moreover, $100 million of the appropriated funds from commercial spaceflight would be withheld "pending the completion of specified acquisitions milestones in the human exploration program."

The conference report did not say what milestones these were. The text of the compromise bill itself had not been publicly released as of Nov. 15."

posted 11-17-2011 02:18 PM               

Conferee Budget: $17.8 billion

• Administration Request: $18.7 billion
  
• Senate Plan: $17.9 billion
  
• House Plan: $16.8 billion

EXPLORATION
Total: $3.77 billion

• Orion MPCV: $1.2 billion
  
• Space Launch System: $1.86 billion
  
• Commercial Crew: $406 million
  
• Exploration R&D: $304.8 million

Provisions

• $100 million of commercial crew funding “shall only be available after the NASA Administrator certifies to the Committees on Appropriations, in writing, that NASA has published the required notifications of NASA contract actions implementing the acquisition strategy for the heavy lift launch vehicle system identified in section 302 of Public Law 111-267 and has begun to execute relevant contract actions in support of development of the heavy lift launch vehicle system.

SCIENCE
Total: $ 5 .09 billion

Provisions

• The formulation and development costs for the James Webb Space Telescope shall not exceed $8 billion

• $10 million for a reimbursable agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) for the purpose of re-establishing facilities to produce fuel required for radioisotope thermoelectric generators to enable future planetary missions