NASA budget cuts human flight, pushes nukes
cnn.com
February 5, 2002
(CNN) -- The proposed 2003 budget for NASA would scale back spending on the international space station and space shuttle but promote the development of nuclear technology in space.
Unveiled Monday, the Bush administration proposal offers $15 billion to the space agency, $500 million more than 2002. Most NASA missions would receive slightly larger budgets in the new fiscal year, with two major exceptions.
Space station Alpha, the subject of intense criticism for billions in cost overruns, would lose roughly $230 million over its 2002 allotment of $1.7 billion.
The space shuttle program, which Bush administration budget documents scold for inefficient safety upgrades, would receive about $65 million less than its $3.3 billion last year.
In fact, the White House plan would consider outsourcing many shuttle jobs to private contractors, and even sell off some of the shuttle hardware.
"Competitive sourcing will enable the full transfer of shuttle operations and possibly some portion of infrastructure ownership to a private entity," read the proposal for fiscal year 2003, which begins October 1.
Sean O'Keefe, the new NASA chief, declined to speculate on the number of federal jobs that might be lost due to competitive outsourcing.
"We're just starting down that road," he told reporters Monday.
The Bush administration issued a report card grading the effectiveness of various NASA groups. Predictably, those involving human flight fared poorly. |
