[meteorite-list] NASA Reaches Higher With Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Request

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:32:10 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201202142132.q1ELWANO009006_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

Feb. 13, 2012

David Weaver
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
david.s.weaver at nasa.gov

RELEASE: 12-051

NASA REACHES HIGHER WITH FISCAL YEAR 2013 BUDGET REQUEST

WASHINGTON -- NASA announced Monday a $17.7 billion budget request for
fiscal year 2013 supporting an ambitious program of space exploration
that will build on new technologies and proven capabilities to expand
America's reach into the solar system.

Despite a constrained fiscal environment, the NASA FY13 budget
continues to implement the space science and exploration program
agreed to by President Obama and a bipartisan majority in Congress,
laying the foundation for ground-breaking discoveries here on Earth
and in deep space, including new destinations, such as an asteroid
and Mars by 2035.

"This budget in-sources jobs, creates capabilities here at home -- and
strengthens our workforce, all while opening the next great chapter
in American exploration," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said.
"And as we reach for new heights in space, we're creating new jobs
right here on Earth, helping to support an economy that's built to
last."

The NASA budget includes $4 billion for space operations and $4
billion for exploration activities in the Human Exploration
Operations mission directorate, including close-out of the Space
Shuttle Program, and funding for the International Space Station,
$4.9 billion for science, $669 million for space technology and $552
million for aeronautics research.

"This budget puts us on course to explore farther into space than ever
before, revealing the unknown and fueling the nation's economy for
years to come," Deputy Administrator Lori Garver said. "We are
committed to ensuring that our astronauts are once again launched
from U.S. soil on American-made spacecraft, and this budget provides
the funds to make this a reality."

The budget supports NASA's continued work to develop the Space Launch
System, a new heavy-lift rocket to carry astronauts to destinations
such as an asteroid and Mars, and the Orion crew capsule in which
they will travel. Included are resources for final preparation and
manufacturing milestones for Orion's 2014 Exploration Flight Test 1
and preliminary design reviews of major Space Launch System elements.

NASA has prioritized funding for its partnership with the commercial
space industry to facilitate crew and cargo transport to the station.
The $830 million for this work in the FY13 budget advances progress
towards a vibrant space industry that will create well-paying,
high-tech jobs to the U.S. economy, and reduce America's reliance on
foreign systems.

The budget also enhances use of the International Space Station to
improve life on Earth and help make the next great leaps in
scientific discovery and exploration.

NASA's science budget supports a balanced portfolio of innovative
science missions that will reach farther into our solar system,
reveal unknown aspects of our universe, and provide critical data
about our home planet. The agency will continue to develop and
conduct critical tests on the James Webb Space Telescope leading to
its planned launch in 2018. As the successor to Hubble Space
Telescope, James Webb again will revolutionize our understanding of
the universe. NASA also is developing an integrated strategy to
ensure the next steps for the robotic Mars Exploration Program will
support science as well as long-term human exploration goals.

Space Technology work supported in the budget will drive advances in
new high-payoff space technologies such as laser communications and
zero-gravity propellant transfer, seeding innovation that will expand
our capabilities in the skies and in space, supporting economic
vitality, lowering the cost of other government and commercial space
activities, and helping to create new jobs and expand opportunities
for a skilled workforce.

NASA supports its commitment to enhancing aviation safety and airspace
efficiency, and reducing the environmental impact of aviation by
helping to accelerate the nation's transition to the Next Generation
Air Transportation System through investments in revolutionary
concepts for air vehicles and air traffic management.

"The 2013 budget moves us forward into tangible implementation of a
sustainable and affordable exploration program," NASA's Chief
Financial Officer Elizabeth Robinson said.

The NASA budget and supporting information are available at:

http://www.nasa.gov/budget

-end-
Received on Tue 14 Feb 2012 04:32:10 PM PST