The Obama administration has consistently cut funding for these human space exploration programs, while increasing funding for the Earth Science Division by more than 63 percent. The bill provides authorization levels consistent with NASA’s budget request, providing that current restraints within the Budget Control Act are satisfied.
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is not happy with the budget outcome, stating:
The NASA authorization bill making its way through the House of Representatives guts our Earth science program and threatens to set back generations worth of progress in better understanding our changing climate, and our ability to prepare for and respond to earthquakes, droughts, and storm events.
NASA leads the world in the exploration of and study of planets, and none is more important than the one on which we live.
In addition, the bill underfunds the critical space technologies that the nation will need to lead in space, including on our journey to Mars.
Earth sciences will continue to be funded, thought this funding will drop by about $300 million. And while some (such as Senator Cruz) may argue it is a new priority at NASA, Factcheck.org disagrees:
Cruz also suggested that the “core mission” of NASA does not include earth sciences. In fact, studying the Earth and atmosphere has been central to NASA’s mission since its creation in 1958.
All parts of government are facing cuts because no one seems to like to pay taxes for anything, from roads to National Parks. That said, we still have a budget that may take us to Europa, continues to fund the next generation of space telescopes, and contributes to future Mars missions (though not every past Mars mission is safe). Things could be worse under this Congress. At least we have yet to deny the lunar missions altogether (sorry, I was thinking about that scene in Interstellar).
Image: Administrator Bolden at an earlier budget hearing.