FY 1996 Budget Request: NASA - Human Space Flight, Space Science

For Fiscal Year 1996, NASA has sent to Congress a request of $14.26 billion, 1.4 percent less than the current year. The requests for the Human Space Flight and Science, Aeronautics and Technology accounts are highlighted below.

HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT: $5509.6 million is requested, representing a decrease of 0.1 percent. Space Station programs within this account would decrease 3.0 percent to $1833.6 million (additional station funds are included within Life/Microgravity Sciences.) The cooperative program with the Russian Space Agency would decrease by 13.9 percent to $129.2 million. The space shuttle would receive an increase of 2.4 percent, to $3231.8 million.

SCIENCE, AERONAUTICS AND TECHNOLOGY: $6006.9 million is requested, representing an increase of 1.1 percent. Details are provided below for selected programs within this account:

Within Research & Analysis, $15.0 million is provided for SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility); within the Suborbital Program, $48.7 million is provided for SOFIA (Stratespheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy). Gravity Probe B is included as a separate line item, pursuant to its approval by the NAS, but the $51.5 million required would need to be taken from elsewhere in the NASA budget.

Missions within the Discovery program include the Mars Pathfinder ($35.9 million) and the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous ($31.3 million.)