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The budget approved yesterday by a House subcommittee threatens most of NASA's science programs, including its robotic Mars exploration program. The cuts come on the heels of the Apollo 11 anniversary and the first female shuttle commander's mission.
On July 26, the VA, HUD and Independent Agencies subcommittee of the US House Appropriations Committee approved $1.3 billion in cuts to NASA's budget -- cuts that have prompted NASA Administrator Dan Goldin to comment that "the NASA budget has been devastated." $75 million of the cuts come from future Mars missions and $774 million come from other science and aernoautics programs.
No NASA science program has a particularly large budget to begin with. NASA's FY1999 budget for Mars exploration totaled only $228 million, so the $75 million cut amounts to one-third of the program's budget. The cut places at risk all future missions, including the 2001 Orbiter and Lander, which are ready to begin assembly, as well as missions planned for 2003 and 2005.
The full Appropriations committee will vote on the budget Friday, July 30.
-- Report from Bob Kopp, Mars Society Washington Intern
Posted by jburk at July 30, 1999 12:00 PM
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