In her opening statement at a hearing of the Commerce, Justice, and Science subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), chair of the subcommittee, mentioned the she would again push to add $1 billion to NASA’s budget. “We’re worried about lost opportunities,” she said, evaluating the administration’s 2009 budget proposal, “and we want to restore those opportunities and keep America’s space program number one.” Therefore, she said, “I will continue in my fight, joining with Senators [Richard] Shelby and [Kay Bailey] Hutchison, to fight again this year to add the $1 billion to deal with the cost that was incurred in returning to flight after the Columbia accident. It should not be a question of whether we should or should not, it’s just a question of doing it.” And to make sure no one missed it, she issued a press release stating her intent to do so.

This will be the third time Mikulski and colleagues tried to get the $1 billion through Congress. The bid to add the money in FY2007 failed when the Senate failed to pass many of its appropriations bills, leading to the year-long continuing resolution. Last year, the Senate approved the additional funding, but the money was lost in conference committee. Will the third time be the charm for Mikulski and supporters? They have already proven they can win support in the Senate, but have yet to demonstrate similar support in the House, which is critical if this miracle has any chance of coming true.