Senate subcommittee adds Hubble funding
Posted: Wed, Jun 22, 2005, 7:40 AM ET (1140 GMT)
A subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee added $250 million to NASA's proposed 2006 budget to support a servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope. The Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittee marked up an appropriations bill Tuesday that includes $16.4 billion for NASA in the next fiscal year. Senators, led by longtime Hubble proponent Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), added $250 million to the budget to help pay for a possible shuttle servicing mission to the telescope. NASA has not committed to such a mission yet, but NASA administrator Michael Griffin said shortly after starting work at the agency two months ago that he would be open to approving such a mission once the shuttle safely returns to flight. Neither the original NASA budget proposal, nor a House version of the appropriations bill, included such funding. Despite the additional funding the full NASA budget still falls about $60 million short of the President's request and about $75 million less than what the House approved last week. Details about which programs were cut were not immediately released, but senators said that the shuttle, ISS, and CEV programs are fully funded in the budget. The full appropriations committee is scheduled to take up the bill later this week.
A subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee added $250 million to NASA's proposed 2006 budget to support a servicing mission for the Hubble Space Telescope. The Commerce, Justice, Science subcommittee marked up an appropriations bill Tuesday that includes $16.4 billion for NASA in the next fiscal year. Senators, led by longtime Hubble proponent Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), added $250 million to the budget to help pay for a possible shuttle servicing mission to the telescope. NASA has not committed to such a mission yet, but NASA administrator Michael Griffin said shortly after starting work at the agency two months ago that he would be open to approving such a mission once the shuttle safely returns to flight. Neither the original NASA budget proposal, nor a House version of the appropriations bill, included such funding. Despite the additional funding the full NASA budget still falls about $60 million short of the President's request and about $75 million less than what the House approved last week. Details about which programs were cut were not immediately released, but senators said that the shuttle, ISS, and CEV programs are fully funded in the budget. The full appropriations committee is scheduled to take up the bill later this week.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, February 11
Jet Propulsion Laboratory anticipating major cuts in NASA budget
KPCC-FM Pasadena, CA — 4:06 pm ET (2106 GMT) Satellites spot Syrian violence from space
Spaceflight Now — 4:05 pm ET (2105 GMT) One giant leap for former fast-food joint
Mountain View (CA) Voice — 4:04 pm ET (2104 GMT) Orion hoping for success with second generation parachute system
NasaSpaceFlight.com — 8:53 am ET (1353 GMT) Small company is sky-high
Santa Maria (CA) Times — 8:01 am ET (1301 GMT) |