Source: http://www.space.com/spacenews/spacenews_summary.html#BM_4

Prospects Dim For Space Solar Power Funding in 2003

By BRIAN BERGER
Space News Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — The future is hazy for a NASA program to lay the conceptual and technical groundwork for satellites that would harness the sun’s cheap, abundant energy for use back on Earth.

For the last several years, NASA’s space solar power program has survived thanks largely to the generosity of congressional appropriators, who have periodically added a few million dollars for the effort to the U.S. space agency’s annual spending bill.

But neither the U.S. House of Representatives nor the Senate version of the 2003 NASA spending bill includes any funding for the space solar power program. Prospects for getting some funds when House and Senate appropriations conferees meet to hash out the differences in their respective bills are dim, according to space solar power proponents both at NASA and on Capitol Hill.

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NASAWatch.INFO: Some say the space solar power concept is highly suspect if not ludicrous. On the other hand, though, projects that could result in increased commercial use of space seem worth taking seriously. So why the total defunding? Perhaps those who have traditionally lobbied for space solar power funding have been caught doing some things that have cast a shadow of scandal on at least most of whatever they touch? (For details, see: http://www.spaceprojects.com/prospace ).