NASA UNVEILS $17.6 BILLION BUDGET

The Wall Street Journal today says that the President of the USA has
proposed a budget for next year that will top $3 trillion.
Of course, this president won't be here next year and it will be up to
congress to decide what kind of budget to accept.

This year the budget was given to Congress electronically and not by a
very large bundle of paper.

OMB goes paperless for 2009 budget request
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/151256-1.html


http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/budget.html

IT budget request for 2009 tops $70 billion
http://www.fcw.com/online/news/151532-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

NASA's part of that budget proposal is $17.6 billion.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/budget/nasa.pdf

In the USA there are a lot of political primaries happening on Tuesday
and one would hope that folks have either voted by absentee ballet or
will vote in the primary should their state be holding one.  We
certainly are hearing a lot about presidential candidates and it would
be a shame to just let things happen by luck.

Here is another link to Shana Dale's report at SpeceRef.com.  Also see
my copy below from NASA News.
- LRK -

-- Highlights of NASA's FY 2009 Budget Request by NASA Deputy
Administrator Shana Dale
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.nl.html?pid=26915


Thanks for looking up with me.

Larry Kellogg

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
BlogSpot: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/
RSS link: http://kelloggserialreports.blogspot.com/atom.xml
Newsletter: https://news.altair.com/mailman/listinfo/lunar-update
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http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/feb/HQ_08034_FY2009_budget.html
Feb. 4, 2008

David Mould/Michael Cabbage
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1898/1600
david.r.mould@nasa.gov,mcabbage@nasa.gov

RELEASE: 08-034

NASA UNVEILS $17.6 BILLION BUDGET

WASHINGTON - NASA announced a $17.6 billion budget for fiscal year
2009 to continue exploring the solar system, building the
International Space Station, studying Earth from space and conducting
aeronautics research.

NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale said the increase for NASA's 2009
budget demonstrates President Bush's commitment to the agency's
missions. With the increase, NASA still accounts for less than 1
percent of the federal budget.

The NASA budget includes $5.78 billion for the space shuttle and space
station programs, $4.44 billion for science, $3.5 billion for
development of new manned spacecraft systems and $447 million for
aeronautics research.

Dale noted steady progress with NASA's missions, with three successful
space shuttle launches last year and up to six planned for this year,
including a flight to service the Hubble Space Telescope. The agency
also is making progress in developing the Orion spacecraft and Ares
launch vehicles to replace the aging shuttle fleet and prepare for
journeys to the moon and destinations beyond.

NASA has 55 science missions currently in space, about half involving
international partnerships, with 15 additional missions scheduled for
launch by the end of 2009.

"In Earth science, NASA's investments in measuring the forces and
effects of climate change are allowing policymakers and the public to
better understand its implications to our home planet," Dale said.

A recently completed decadal survey for Earth science includes views
of the scientific community that will help the agency set priorities
for new missions to add to humanity's knowledge of Earth and its
climate and ecosystems. NASA will dedicate $910 million during the
next five years to develop new missions to add to our Earth-observing
fleet of spacecraft.

The budget also includes funding for lunar science to further
scientific understanding of the moon and for planetary science and
astrophysics to continue exploring worlds beyond Earth and to study
dark energy and other mysteries of the cosmos.

In aeronautics, NASA is helping address fundamental research needs
facing the Next Generation Air Transportation System, aimed at making
U.S. air travel safer, more efficient and environmentally friendly.

As the International Space Station nears completion, the NASA budget
provides funding to help spur development of commercial space
transportation services to send cargo and possibly crews to the
station after the shuttles retire in 2010. Without commercial
providers, the United States will depend on the Russian Soyuz
spacecraft to carry astronauts between Earth and the space station.

"The development of space simply cannot be 'all government all the
time,' " Dale said. "NASA's budget for FY 2009 provides $173 million
for entrepreneurs - from big companies or small ones - to develop
commercial transport capabilities to support the International Space
Station. NASA is designating $500 million toward the development of
this commercial space capability.

"With over $2.6 billion in NASA funds available over the next five
years to purchase cargo and crew services to support ISS operations,
we would much rather be using this money to purchase cargo and crew
services from American commercial companies than foreign entities,"
she added.


-end-

Snip
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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