No changes were made to the NASA budget today during full committee markup of the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations bill for FY2010. The budget for the Constellation program remains at $3.2 billion, or $700 million below the $3.9 billion requested by the Obama Administration. CJS subcommittee chairman Alan Mollohan (D-WV) said that he expects the Administration to submit an amended budget request following completion of the Augustine panel and the funding can be reconsidered then. That panel has been established to look at options for the future of the U.S. human space flight program. Its report is due in August. Meanwhile, the CJS bill is scheduled to go to the House floor next Wednesday, June 17.

Our listing of events includes two markups this week. Wonder what a markup is? Check out our new fact sheet, “What’s a Markup?: Answers to That and Other Legislative Mysteries” on the left menu of our home page under “Fact Sheets and Reports.” Or just View it now.

SpacePolicyOnline.com has a new fact sheet available. It tracks NASA’s FY2010 budget request as it moves through Congress. Click on “Our Fact Sheets and Reports” under “Civil” on the top menu. This first version shows the action by the House Appropriations CJS subcommittee earlier today.

NASA has set up a website for the Augustine panel that is assessing options for NASA’s future human space flight program — officially the Review of Human Space Flight Plans Committee. Not only does it provide information about the committee’s activities, but it is a place where the public can connect with the committee and offer input. “The human space flight program belongs to everyone,” committee chairman Norman Augustine said. ‘Our committee would hope to benefit from the views of all who would care to contact us.'”

http://hsf.nasa.gov

The following events that may be of interest have been announced for next week. This article is updated to add the June 9 House Appropriations Committee full committee markup of the CJS bill (which includes NASA, NOAA and NSF) since it is now on the Congress Daily (subscription required) calendar. Note: dates, times and witnesses for congressional hearings and markups are subject to change. Check with the respective committee for the most up to date information.

In Washington, DC

NASA. NOAA, NSF Budget Markup: House Appropriations Full Committee Markup of CJS Bill

June 9 11:00 am House Appropriations Committee 2359 Rayburn

DOD Budget Hearing: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee

June 9 10:30 am Senate Appropriations Defense subcommittee 192 Dirksen

NOAA Budget Hearing: Senate Commerce Subcommittee

June 11 11:00 am Senate Commerce Oceans subcommittee 253 Russell

DOD Budget Markup: House Subcommittee Markup of DOD Authorization Bill

June 11 1:00 pm House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee 2118 Rayburn

(The other HASC subcommittees also will mark up this week, but national security space programs are primarily under the jurisdiction of this subcommittee).

In Pasadena, CA

June 8-11 NRC Astro2010 Program Prioritization Panels Pasadena Convention Center

Each of the four NRC panels has its own website where agendas can be viewed. Almost all of the space-related astrophysics projects are dealt with in the third panel (EOS), although the fourth deals with gravitation missions, e.g., LISA. Some portions of the meetings are closed. The main website for the Astro 2010 decadal survey is here.

Radio, Millimeter and Submillimeter Astronomy from the Ground (RMS)
Optical and Infrared Astronomy from the Ground (OIR)
Electromagnetic Observations from Space (EOS)
Particle Astrophysics and Gravitation (PAG)

Rep. Alan Mollohan, chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (including NASA), released a statement that the subcommittee approved $18.2 billion for NASA for FY2010. While the statement says that it is an increase of $421 million over last year’s level, it is a cut of $486 million from the President’s request for FY2010 — $18.686 billion. A table showing changes to each NASA budget account is available on the committee’s website. Rep. Mollohan said:

“For NASA, the bill provides a total of $18.2 billion, an increase of $421 million over last year’s level. Investments have been made in Earth science to further the decadal surveys. The recommendation, however, acknowledges that the Administration has established a blue ribbon panel, led by Dr. Norm Augustine, to review the current vision for human space flight. Funds are provided in the bill to continue investments in human space flight at the same level as provided in fiscal year 2009. Reductions from the budget request should not be viewed as a diminution of my support or that of the Subcommittee in NASA’s human space flight activities. Rather, the deferral is taken without prejudice; it is a pause, a time-out, to allow the President to establish his vision for human space exploration and to commit to realistic future funding levels to realize this vision.

The Subcommittee looks forward to receiving the findings of Dr. Augustine’s panel and the recommendation of the Administration on the way forward. I do believe, however, in order to avoid continuing cost increases and further delays in the initial operating capability of our Nation’s next generation of human space flight architecture to follow the Shuttle’s successful and impressive run, it is imperative that the Administration and Congress provide the necessary resources to meet that policy directive – in the annual President’s budget and the annual Congressional budget process. When President Kennedy said we would put a man on the moon, the Nation followed – in spirit and with the resources to get the job done. We collectively should do no differently today.”

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) marked up the FY2010 CJS bill on the morning of June 4 (the time was incorrectly listed as 9:00 pm on the subcommittee’s website). The bill includes NASA, NOAA and NSF. Full committee markup is scheduled for June 9. According to Congress Daily (subscription required), the subcomittee approved a $64.4 billion bill; details will not be made public by the committee until full committee markup next week. Congress Daily points out that the markup took place even though the “302(b)” allocations that determine how much money each of the 12 appropriations subcommittees have to work with are not yet settled.

The Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee of the House Science and Technology Committee is planning a hearing on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program for June 17, 2009. Further details are TBD. Note: Dates, times, and witnesses for congressional hearings are subject to change. Check the committee’s website for updated information.

Several people at the “Aligning Policies and Budgets” symposium at GWU’s Space Policy Institute today asked for copies of my Powerpoint presentation, and I promised to post it here. For anyone who is interested, here it is!  View PDF

Three National Research Council Boards (the Ocean Studies Board, the Space Studies Board, and the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate) will host a three-day symposium from June 22-24 celebrating 20 years of Earth System Science at NASA. It will be held at the National Academy of Sciences building, 2100 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm each day. The agenda is available here.