Appropriators Release FY2014 Omnibus Bill, NASA Does Well

It may not be the full enchilada, but NASA did pretty well all things considered in the proposed FY2014 omnibus appropriations bill released tonight (January 13).

Assuming approval by the House, Senate and President, NASA will get $17.6 billion for FY2014, not that much less than its $17.7 billion request.  Under some scenarios, NASA could have gotten as little as $16.1 billion, so this is a tremendous improvement.  A quick look through the bill shows that the agency would receive:

• $4,113 million for exploration, of which
  • $696 million is for commercial crew, with $171 million available only after the Administrator certifies that the program has undergone an independent benefit-cost analysis
  • $1,197 million is for Orion
  • $1,918 million is for Space Launch System (SLS) of which $1,600 million is for launch vehicle development and $318 million is for exploration ground systems
  • $302 million is for exploration research and development
• $5,151 million for science, of which $80 million is for pre-formulation or formulation activities for a Europa mission, and the James Webb Space Telescope’s development costs remain capped at $8 billion
• $576 million for space technology
• $566 million for aeronautics
• $3,778 million for space operations
• $116.6 million for education, of which
  • $18 million is for EPSCOR and
  • $40 million is for Space Grant
• $2,793 million for Cross Agency Support
• $515 million for Construction and Environmental Compliance and Restoration
• $37.5 million for Inspector General

 The prohibition on engaging in any activities related to bilateral space cooperation with China remains.