Sunday, April 6, 2008

Senator Mikulski Again Calls For $1 Billion Increase For NASA's Budget

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), who has long been a tireless defender of America's space program, has issued a press release in which she announced that she will renew her efforts to add an additional $1 billion to the NASA budget for Fiscal Year 2009.

Co-sponsors of the amendment are Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX). These senators should be congratulated for their strong support of the American space program.

In previous attempts to pass this amendment, Congressman Nick Lampson(D-TX) has filed similar legislation in the House. Please note that Congressman Lampson is in a tough fight for re-election in his district, which includes the Johnson Space Center. His campaign website can be found here.

Here is a portion of the statement released by Senator Mikulski:
I’m disappointed that the President’s 2009 budget request for NASA is stagnant. The request is $17.6 billion – just $300 million above the 2008 omnibus level. A 1.8 percent increase does not keep up with inflation. Science is held steady at $4.4 billion. This only includes plans to launch five of 17 high priority Earth Science missions by 2020. Aeronautics research is cut by $65 million, for a total of just $447 million. There is no additional funding to help pay back NASA for the costs of returning the Shuttle to flight, perpetuating a five-year gap between the Shuttle’s retirement in 2010 and the launch of Orion and Ares in 2015. This is a budget of lost opportunities.

She goes on to say:
The budget request for the next generation vehicle is $3 billion, almost $600 million above the 2008 level. I am absolutely committed to the goal of returning the U.S. astronauts to the Moon and maintaining a U.S. presence there. With other nations seeking to expand their presence in space, returning to the Moon is a strategic goal. NASA estimates it will cost $16 billion to build Ares and Orion. While this is a significant investment, there will still be a gap of almost five years between the retirement of the space shuttle and the launch of Orion and Ares. I want to know what we can do to minimize this time gap and the impact of the gap on our workforce.

Senator Mikulski is one of NASA's great champions in the United States Congress. The Committee for the Advocacy of Space Exploration thanks her for her efforts on behalf of the space program and urges all members of Congress to follow her lead.