spacetoday.net: NASA budget released; human spaceflight review announced

Posted: Fri, May 8, 2009, 7:23 AM ET (1123 GMT)
NASA

The Obama Administration released details about its fiscal year 2010 budget request for NASA on Thursday while also announcing that it would carry out an independent review of NASA's future human spaceflight plans. The proposed $18.686 billion budget is a five percent increase over 2009; combined with $1 billion allocated to NASA in the stimulus package passed by Congress earlier this year, the agency would get an additional $2 billion in fiscal years 2009 and 2010. While the budget calls for continued development of Constellation, the administration also announced Thursday the formation of the Review of United States Human Space Flight Plans, an independent panel to be chaired by Norm Augustine, former chairman of Lockheed Martin. The panel, whose other members have yet to be named, will review the current state of Constellation and compare it to various alternatives. The panel is expected to complete its work to permit a decision by the White House no later than August on whether to proceed with Constellation in its current form.