The battle lines are being drawn between Congress and the White House in regard to NASA's budget, an...

1. House budget authorization mark-up slashes $500 million
from NASA’s Earth science programs
The battle lines are being drawn between Congress and the White House in regard to NASA's
budget, and this year they're moving closer to home -- the planet Earth.
In the newly released House of Representatives budget authorization mark-up for fiscal year 2016 --
one step before Congress actually appropriates the money -- lawmakers have cut funding for NASA's
Earth science programs to $1.45 billion. In his budget request to Congress, shown below, the
President sought $1.947 billion.
President
Obama's budget request for FY 2016. (NASA)

2. The House budget authorization for FY 2016 and 2017, the starting point for negotiations in the
House during the next few weeks, is shown below.

3. House budget
authorization for FY 2016 and 2017. (U.S. House of Representatives)
I've also highlighted the Exploration Systems Development budget, which is essentially funding for
NASA's Space Launch System rocket, the Orion space capsule, launch pads for the rocket and more.
The difference between the House budget and the President's request, $450 million, is about the
same as the cut to Earth science funding.
Before discussing this, there is one other data point of note to consider, funding for commercial
crew. The House, for the first time, fully funds the commercial program in which SpaceX and Boeing
are developing crew transport vehicles.
"The NASA Authorization Act for 2016 and 2017 builds on the bipartisan one-year agreement that
the House passed just weeks ago," the House Science Committee Chairman, Republican Lamar
Smith, said in a statement Friday afternoon. "It restores much-needed balance to NASA's budget
while complying with funding levels set by current law. It authorizes full funding for the exploration
systems that will take us to the Moon and Mars as well as the Commercial Crew program. It
provides NASA with a science portfolio that is truly balanced."
The pattern we have seen from the last several NASA budget fights remains similar, but there's a
new twist this year. The President always requests a lower number for the SLS rocket and Orion

4. spacecraft. NASA administrator Charles Bolden says he doesn't need that much money yet for the
programs. Meanwhile Congress always plusses up those budgets. In the past it has, essentially,
trimmed money from commercial crew to pay for the rocket and spacecraft.
From these budget documents it is clear the budget fight between Congress has moved on from
commercial crew to Earth science. The President, who made commercial crew a priority, appears to
have won that round. But now Congress is moving on to Earth science.
Ultimately fighting over commercial crew has become a losing proposition for politicians. To trim
funding for the American companies would be to extend dependence upon Russia for getting U.S.
astronauts into space for 2018 and beyond.
But Earth science, and the idea that NASA is using its budget to study climate science, offers a more
fertile battle ground for the Republican House and Senate. We have already seen evidence of this in
Congressional hearings this spring.

5. Chart
shown by Ted Cruz during recent hearing of the U.S. Senate's space subcommittee. (screenshot)
Expect more in the months to come.
One other note about the House budget authorization is its position on NASA's proposed Asteroid
Retrieval Mission. The House authorization has this to say:

6. Section 701. Asteroid Retrieval Mission.
Section 701 requires the Administrator to report to Congress on the proposed Asteroid Retrieval
Mission including a detailed budget profile; a detailed technical plan; a description of the
technologies and capabilities anticipated to be gained that will enable future missions to Mars that
could not be gained by lunar missions; a description of the technologies and capabilities anticipated
to be gained from the proposed mission that will enable future planetary defense missions; and a
review by the Small Bodies Assessment Group and the NASA Advisory Council of how the proposed
mission is or is not in the strategic interest of the U.S. in space exploration. This section requires a
report conducted by an independent, private systems engineering and technical assistance
organization analyzing the proposal for a Mars Flyby human spaceflight mission to be launched in
2021. The report must be transmitted to Congress.
To me that sounds like the House is not ready to spend much money on implementing the asteroid
mission.
Please enable JavaScript to view the Featured Perspectives by Versa.
http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2015/04/house-budget-authorization-slashes-500-million-from-nasas-ear
th-science-programs/