Congressional Appropriators Cut NASA Funding; Moon Program, New Launch Vehicle, and Science All Cut

The House Appropriations Committee has passed its version of the 2007 federal government budget. In it, funding for NASA was cut by $550 million (approximately 3.2%) from the amount proposed by the Bush Administration last February. The $16.2 billion budgeted for NASA for 2007 is the same as the amount approved for 2006.

It's a double whammy," said Louis Friedman, Executive Director of The Planetary Society. "First the science underpinnings to the NASA exploration architecture were removed; now the whole enterprise seems to be collapsing."

The budget includes cuts of $576 million from the Moon-to-Mars program, $94million from shuttle and space station, and $78 million from NASA's Science programs. Spending for Aeronautics was increased above the NASA's request by $163 million, and another $40 million was added to miscellaneous programs.
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Congressional_Appropriators_Cut_NASA_Funding_Moon_Program_New_Launch_Vehicle_and_Science_All_Cut_999.html