Posted: Tue, Oct 8, 2002, 1:07 PM ET (1707 GMT)
The House Appropriations Committee has proposed adding funding for missions to Pluto and Europa in NASA's 2003 budget, the committee announced Monday. The committee completed its mark up, or review and revision, of the proposed 2003 budget for the space agency this week, adding $300 million to the original $15 billion budget sent to Congress by President Bush. The changes to the budget include adding $105 million to continue work on New Horizons, a Pluto-Kuiper Belt flyby mission NASA included no funding for in its budget. The committee also included $40 million for studies of a Europa orbiter mission, another project NASA had originally included no funding for. The Senate's version of the budget, approved by its appropriations committee in July, included an identical amount for New Horizons but no additional funding for a Europa mission. The budget must still be approved by the committee before going to the full House. The 2003 fiscal year started on October 1, but the government is operating under a series of stopgap funding bills because none of the thirteen budget bills for the entire federal government have yet to be approved.

Related Links:

•  House Appropriations Committee press release
•  Space News article (subscription required)