Based on a comment yesterday about what the current House budget for NASA was in light of the floor debate this week on the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) appropriations bill, the table below summarizes the numbers from the President’s budget request (PBR); the House bill, HR 5326; and the Senate version, S. 2323, which is awaiting consideration by the full Senate. All dollar amounts are in millions, and rounded to the nearest tenth.
| Account | PBR | House | Senate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Science | $4,911.2 | $5,095.0 | $5,021.1 |
| Aeronautics | $551.5 | $569.9 | $551.5 |
| Space Technology | $699.0 | $632.5 | $651.0 |
| Exploration | $3,932.8 | $3,711.9 | $3,908.9 |
| Space Operations | $4,013.2 | $3,985.0 | $3,961.7 |
| Education | $100.0 | $100.0 | $125.0 |
| Cross-Agency Support | $2,847.5 | $2,717.5 | $2,822.5 |
| Construction | $619.2 | $598.0 | $679.0 |
| Inspector General | $37.0 | $38.0 | $37.8 |
| SUBTOTAL | $17,711.4 | $17,447.8 | $17,758.5 |
| Operational Satellite Acquisition | n/a | n/a | $1,641.1 |
| TOTAL | $17,711.4 | $17,447.8 | $19,399.6 |
Recall that the Senate moved funding for weather satellite development from NOAA to NASA out of concerns about the progress of those programs within NOAA, hence the “Operational Satelite Acquisition” account that’s only in the Senate version.
If you’re interested in funding levels beyond the top-level accounts listed above, SpacePolicyOnline.com has a detailed fact sheet about the NASA budget that includes breakouts within the major accounts.
Just a little political trivia here on Space Politics – Operational Satellite Acquisition funding aside, it looks like the Democratic-controlled Senate likes NASA more than the Republican-controlled House. Interesting, huh?
Also, just to show that not everything that Congress does is dysfunctional, both the House and Senate are fully funding the SLS & MPCV, which apparently means pork is something universally enjoyed by both parties. Who says they can’t agree on anything?
@Coastal Ron
The most promising NASA programs, their science and COTS efforts, are being underfunded by these proposals. The only thing SLS and MPCV have in common is supporting defense/aerospace contractors. To Congress, NASA is little more than a jobs program.
NEO detection did not make it even to a line item in Marcia’s summary.