FY 2001 NASA Budget Request: Space Science; Life & Microgravity S&A

“For the first time in seven years, the NASA budget [request] is going up - $435 million in 2001.” -- NASA Administrator Dan Goldin

The total FY 2001 budget request for NASA is $14,035.3 million, an increase of $434.5 million, or 3.2 percent, over FY 2000 funding. Within this request, Space Science would see an increase of 9.4 percent, and Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications would grow by 10.1 percent. Earth Science would undergo a major restructuring of its budget and see its funding drop by 2.6 percent. Within the Human Space Flight account, Space Station funding would be cut by 9.0 percent.

“Today we take the next major step in decreasing our involvement in operations and increasing our investment in cutting-edge R&D,” NASA Administrator Dan Goldin announced on February 7 at the space agency’s FY 2001 budget briefing. “The best indicator of this change is how we balance our human space flight with our science and aerospace technology investments. Over the past decade, our science and aerospace technology investment went from 31 to 41 percent of our budget. In the next five years, we will raise our investment to 51 percent.”

Below are highlights of the budget requests for the Space Science and the Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications accounts. A subsequent FYI will cover the request for Earth Science, and Human Space Flight.

SPACE SCIENCE REQUEST: $2,398.8 million; up 9.4 %

Space Science would grow by $206.0 million. According to NASA budget documents, this request includes a $20 million augmentation for a new initiative entitled “Living With A Star,” which is intended “to better study solar variability and understand its effects on humanity.” NASA expects that operations will begin on at least 13 space science missions before the end of FY 2001. These include the Relativity Mission (Gravity Probe-B), to be launched in September 2001; the Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics & Dynamics (TIMED) in fall of 2000; the three Explorer missions MAP, CATSAT, and GALEX in FY 2001; and the Discovery mission Genesis in January 2001. “In light of the failed Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) and Mars Polar Lander (MPL),” the budget document states, “the entire Mars Surveyor Program, including the 2001 Mars Surveyor Orbiter and Lander, is undergoing major re-planning activity. The FY 2001 Budget provides additional funding in this line, above last year’s runout projections, to support development and deployment of concepts at Mars that could enhance the science return and overall success of future missions.”

LIFE & MICROGRAVITY S&A: $302.4 million; up 10.1 %

The Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications (OLMSA) would receive an increase of $27.7 million. According to budget documents, OLMSA is proposing a Bioastronautics Initiative to augment biomedical research activities already underway. “Bioastronautics research is an interdisciplinary set of focused research activities bringing together biology, physics, chemistry, communications technology and nano-technologies that will revolutionize medical care delivery in space and on Earth.... The OLMSA projects contributing to this Initiative are Advanced Human Support Technology, Biomedical Research and Countermeasures, Microgravity Research and Health Research.”