More bucks for NASA More bucks for NASA (February 06, 2004)

Impact on Ames still uncertain

By Dan Stapleton

President Bush's 2005 budget proposal, released Feb. 2, attached some real numbers to his ambitious vision for NASA's future.

The budget proposal provides funding for space exploration, with increases of about $866 million in 2005, $758 million in 2006 and $813 million in 2007. After that, the budget will resume increasing at a slower rate that merely adjusts for inflation.

What the increase in budget means for Ames Research Center and Mountain View is still up in the air. Due to the timing of President Bush's proposal, NASA will not have specific details on exactly where all the money will go for another three to five months.

While the size of the federal workforce at Ames is unlikely to increase, Ames Center Director Scott Hubbard says that if Ames receives additional funding, he would favor directing it to bolster collaborative research efforts between Ames and the University of California at Santa Cruz.

During a media conference on Tuesday, NASA Comptroller Steve Isakowitz defended charges that President Bush's NASA proposal will balloon out of control. "I think there is a misconception that this is going to get much more expensive once we get beyond the five-year horizon," he said. "Actually, we believe an inflationary budget will be quite livable."

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe called the budget both compelling and affordable. "It fully supports the president's vision and all of NASA's charter functions," he said.

Just over a year ago, the space shuttle Columbia broke up during reentry, killing the seven astronauts on board and grounding the remaining shuttles due to safety concerns. O'Keefe said getting the shuttle fleet flying again is the organization's top priority, since a working space vehicle will be needed to fulfill the United States' commitment to the International Space Station.

E-mail Dan Stapleton at dstapleton@mv-voice.com

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