Senate Appropriations Committee Sends FY 1996 NASA Budget to Floor

The Senate Appropriations Committee met earlier this week and has sent to the floor H.R. 2099, the VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY 1996. This bill contains funding for NASA, and will be voted on by the full Senate in the near future. Following passage by the Senate, H.R. 2099 will then go to a conference to resolve differences in funding levels between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The below figures and recommendations are contained in Senate Report 104-140, which accompanies H.R. 2099:

OVER-ALL NASA BUDGET: The current budget is $14,376,684,000; the Administration requested $14,260,000,000 for FY 1996. The House version of this bill provides $13,671,800,000, which is 95.9% of the administration’s request. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommends $13,798,500,000, which is 96.8% of the request.

Components within this over-all budget are as follows:

HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT: The current budget is $5,514,897,000; the Administration requested $5,509,600,000 for FY 1996. The House version of this bill provides $5,449,600,000, which is 98.9% of the administration’s request. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommends $5,337,600,000, which is 96.9% of the request. Space station funding is provided at the requested level ($1,833,600,000), with the Senate report stating, “The Committee strongly endorses a robust and vigorous human space flight program with space station as the most critical element.”

SCIENCE, AERONAUTICS, AND TECHNOLOGY: The current budget is $5,891,200,000; the Administration requested $6,006,900,000 for FY 1996. The House version of this bill provides $5,588,000,000, which is 93.0% of the administration’s request. The Senate Appropriations Committee recommends $5,960,700,000, which is 99.2% of the request.

SPACE SCIENCE: A component of the Science, Aeronautics, and Technology budget is Space Science. The committee report language follows:

“The Committee recommends $2,054,400,000 for fiscal year 1996, an increase of $95,500,000 to the budget request. The Committee recommends the following changes to the budget request:

"-$5,000,000 from the space infrared telescope facility [SIRTF]. The remaining $10,000,000 in funding should be sufficient for NASA to conduct phase |A/B definition studies. The Committee is concerned about the large total program cost given anticipated future budget constraints. A decision by the Committee whether to approve phase C/D development will be considered based on future NASA requests and funding availability.

"+$51,500,000 for gravity probe-B [GP-B]. In October 1994, NASA requested that the National Academy of Sciences validate the technical feasibility and scientific merit of GP-B relative to other science priorities within the NASA budget. NASA has spent $220,000,000 on the program thus far with another $340,000,000 needed for completion. The academy found the GP-B project well worth its remaining cost to completion. Consequently, the Committee recommends the program proceed as planned.

"+$46,000,000 for initiation of the Solar-Terrestrial Probes [STP] Program. Consistent with the NASA Office of Space Science strategic plan and Senate Report 103-311, the Committee again directs that NASA proceed with the STP Program of which TIMED is the first mission. The Committee recommends $41,000,000 to initiate this mission which is capped at $100,000,000 (in fiscal year 1994 dollars) for spacecraft development. The Committee also recommends $5,000,000 for design studies toward full development of the inner magnetospheric imager, the second in the STP series of missions recommended by the science community.

"+$3,000,000 for university explorer [UNEX], a university-led program to develop small inexpensive spacecraft for astronomy and space physics missions.”

LIFE AND MICROGRAVITY SCIENCES: Another component of this budget is research in Life and Microgravity Sciences. Selected portions of the committee report are as follows: “The Committee recommends $467,000,000 for fiscal year 1996, a decrease of $37,000,000 to the budget request. The Committee recommends the reduction be made to space station payload facilities. NASA should seek to replace development of one or two of these facilities through in-kind contributions from the space station international partners. NASA should continue the development of the space station furnace facility given its level of development maturity.”

MISSION TO PLANET EARTH: This program is also under the Science, Aeronautics, and Technology budget. Portions of the report follow: “The Committee recommends $1,280,100,000 for fiscal year 1996, a decrease of $61,000,000 to the budget request. The National Academy of Sciences recently reviewed the Earth Observing System [EOS] program and reaffirmed the program goal and overall approach of providing scientific understanding of Earth as an integrated system. The National Academy, however, suggested significant potential reforms to the EOS data information system [EOSDIS]. As result, the Committee recommends a $60,000,000 reduction to EOSDIS which would freeze it at the fiscal year 1995 budget level. It is the Committee’s understanding that this reduction will not have a significant adverse effect on the objectives of the EOS program....The Committee also strongly urges that NASA seek greater commercial, international, and Government participation in the program with the goal of reducing program costs. ...the Committee views the planned Earth System Science Pathfinder Program as an important component of such a strategy and urges NASA to demonstrate missions that could dramatically lower costs.”

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS: This is another component of the Science, Aeronautics, and Technology budget. The report language states: “The Committee recommends $102,200,000 for fiscal year 1996, a decrease of $16,500,000 to the budget request and no change from the fiscal year 1995 appropriation level. The education programs in the aggregate should be at a minimum at the fiscal year 1995 level.”