(Space Science) Senate Rpt.107-222 VA-HUD Appropriations Bill 2003
Space Science
The activities of NASA’s Space Science Enterprise
seek to chart the evolution of the universe, from origins to destiny,
and understand its galaxies, stars, planetary bodies, and life. The
Enterprise asks basic questions that have eternally perplexed human
beings, such as how the universe began and evolved and whether there is
other intelligent life in the universe. The Space Science Enterprise
develops space observatories and directs robotic spacecraft into the
solar system and beyond to investigate the nature of the universe.
The quest for this information, and the answers themselves, is
intended to maintain scientific leadership, excite and inspire our
society, strengthen education and scientific literacy, develop and
transfer technologies to promote U.S. competitiveness, foster
international cooperation to enhance programs and share their benefits,
and set the stage for future space ventures.
The Committee has made the following adjustments to the budget request:
An increase of $105,000,000 for the New Horizons Program for the
Pluto-Kuiper Belt (PKB) mission to be used for the spacecraft,
instruments, project management, the radioisotope thermoelectric
generator and the launch vehicle. The Committee has added funding to
continue development work on the Pluto-Kuiper Belt mission as the first
mission in the New Horizons Program. The Committee notes that the PKB
mission meets all of the criteria for the New Horizons Program and
expects the agency to include funding for PKB in subsequent budget
submissions in order to launch the mission by 2006.
An increase of $2,000,000 for a center on life in extreme thermal
environments at Montana State University.
An increase of $500,000 to the University of Alaska, Anchorage, for
broadband riverine research in Alaska.
A decrease of $16,500,000 from the flight projects building at the
Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Committee makes this reduction without
prejudice in light of the Agency’s decision to postpone construction in
fiscal year 2002.
A decrease of $9,000,000 from the proposed Nuclear Power Program and
a decrease of $4,000,000 from the proposed Nuclear Electric Propulsion
program. The Committee supports both new programs, but believes that the
necessary technology will be slow to ramp up. Moreover, the Committee is
concerned about out year budget costs of these programs, the Space
Launch Initiative and Shuttle upgrades, all program that will need to
complement each other.
Mars Program .–The Committee has provided the full budget request
for the Mars Program.
Hubble Space Telescope .–The Committee has provided the full budget
request for the Hubble Space Telescope and the Next Generation Space
Telescope.
The Committee commends the Agency for the continued success of the
Hubble Space Telescope and the extraordinary contributions it has made
to the advancement of science.
Living With A Star .–The Committee remains strongly supportive of
the Living With A Star program because of the critical role its missions
will play in understanding the effect of the Sun on our solar system
particularly its impact on space weather which can have a profound
impact on the Earth. Therefore, the Committee has provided the full
budget request for technology development requested for the
magnetospheric multiscale mission (MMS), the Solar Dynamics Observatory
(SDO) and the Geospace Missions. Should the Agency wish to reallocate
funds within these missions, the Committee will entertain a
re-programming request in the operating plan provided that any
re-programming preserves the LWS objective of maintaining
contemporaneous science.
