Posted: Tue, Sep 14, 2004, 7:41 PM ET (2341 GMT)
President George Bush asked Congress on Tuesday to approve a supplemental budget bill that includes $126 million to repair hurricane damage at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The request, formally filed Tuesday with Rep. Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, asks for $126 million "to repair facilities damaged and take other emergency measures due to the effects of hurricanes". That amount includes $89 million to cover repairs to the Vehicle Assembly Building and tile production facility, as well as "temporary relocation of its production capability". The request also calls for $23 million to repair equipment damaged by the storm as well as $14 million to provide temporary workspaces for displaced workers. KSC suffered significant damage when it was hit by Hurricane Frances over Labor Day weekend, including the loss of hundreds of exterior panels on the sides of the VAB. The request was part of a total of $3.1 billion in hurricane-related supplementary requests Bush made on Tuesday. An earlier request for $2 billion to cover hurricane damage was swiftly approved by Congress, which is also expected to act quickly on this measure.

Related Links:

•  Space News article (subscription required)
•  Copy of emergency supplemental budget request from OMB