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2\10 FYI No 19- FY04 NASA Request
Part 1 of 2

FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 19: February 10, 2003

FY 2004 Budget Request: NASA

President Bush has requested a total of $15.5 billion for NASA for FY 
2004.  This is 3.1% greater than the Administration had requested for 
FY 2003, and 3.8% more than the space agency received in FY 2002.  Due 
to the recent shuttle Columbia tragedy, NASA Administrator Sean 
O'Keefe did not provide the customary public briefing on the budget 
request.  Agency budget documents state that "the budget is 
restructured to reflect the Strategic Plan," and "program budgets have 
been revamped to reflect full cost," including the costs of personnel 
and facilities.  Highlighted initiatives include "breakthrough nuclear 
propulsion and power systems that will be demonstrated on an ambitious 
mission to Jupiter's moons; revolutionary communications 
technologies...; constellations of networked spacecraft that will 
probe the edge of black holes and the dark energy that is expanding 
the universe; research into the human factors of space travel...; 
research into climate change targeted at high priority policy issues; 
new aeronautics technologies...; and education programs to expand the 
number of students pursuing science and engineering careers."

Because the FY 2003 appropriations process has not been completed, it 
is difficult to place the FY 2004 request in context.  One way to look 
at the FY 2004 request is to compare it to NASA's FY 2002 operating 
plan, which is based on a final appropriation, to see how funding 
would change over this two-year period.  In most cases below, FY 2004 
request levels have been compared with both the FY 2003 request and 
the FY 2002 funding level.

Space Science funding would grow a significant amount by either 
measure.  Biological and Physical Research would also experience a 
healthy increase, while Earth Science funding would drop from both the 
FY 2002 level and the FY 2003 request.  The Space Flight Enterprise 
would fall from the FY 2002 level, remaining essentially the same as 
the FY 2003 request.

Please note that the FY 2003 and FY 2004 requested amounts are shown 
in the "full cost" format (including such costs as personnel and 
facilities), but the FY 2002 levels are not, so comparisons between 
the FY 2004 request and the FY 2002 funding levels may not be exact.  
In addition, no one yet knows what impact the shuttle catastrophe and 
ensuing investigation will have on NASA's budget request.

Details of selected NASA programs, with explanatory quotes from NASA 
budget documents, are provided below:

SPACE SCIENCE ENTERPRISE: $4,007 million; up 39.8% from NASA's FY 2002
operating plan; up 15.5% from the FY 2003 request.

The Space Science Enterprise "seeks to answer fundamental questions 
about life in the universe."  It comprises the five themes below:

 -  Solar System Exploration: The FY 2004 request of $1,359 million
includes funds for the Messenger, Dawn and Deep Impact missions 
currently in development; exploration of the outer solar system 
planets including the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper 
Belt; and astrobiology research to seek life on other planets.  New 
initiatives include the Project Prometheus mission to Jupiter's icy 
moons and an optical communications initiative.

 - Mars Exploration: The FY 2004 request of $570 million includes 
funds for development of a 2005 Reconnaissance Orbiter, a 2007 Scout 
Mission, a 2009 Mars Smart Rover/Lander, and a new 2009 
telecommunications satellite around Mars.

 - Astronomical Search for Origins: The request of $877 million 
supports Hubble Space Telescope operations, servicing and retrieval 
missions, as well as development of a James Webb Space Telescope to 
"build on the legacy of Hubble" and a Space Interferometry Mission.

 - Structure and Evolution of the Universe: The $432 million request
includes funds for development of the Gamma-ray Large Area Space 
Telescope (GLAST) and a new "Beyond Einstein" initiative to 
investigate unanswered questions about black holes and the Big Bang.

 - Sun-Earth Connections: The $770 million request supports 
development of STEREO, a Solar Dynamics Observatory, and future flight 
missions.

EARTH SCIENCE ENTERPRISE: $1,552 million; down 4.5% from NASA's FY 
2002 operating plan; down 3.6% from the FY 2003 request.

The Earth Science Enterprise "seeks to understand and protect our home
planet," and comprises the two themes below:

 - Earth System Science: The FY 2004 request of $1,477 million 
reflects a decrease from the FY 2003 request, "driven primarily by 
major development programs that are past their peak development 
spending and are preparing for launches...including AURA, Cloudsat, 
and Calipso."  The request includes funds for the NPOESS (joint 
NASA-NOAA-DOD) Preparatory Project, the Landsat data continuity 
mission, climate change research and modeling "to aid policy and 
economic decision-makers," and to accelerate certain aspects of the 
Climate Change Research Initiative.

 - Earth Science Applications: This theme, with a request of $75 
million, has been "completely revamped to focus on 12 specific 
applications of national priority where other agencies' decision 
support systems can be markedly improved based on NASA-provided data 
and information."

BIOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE: $973 million; up 18.7% 
from NASA's FY 2002 operating plan; up 6.6% from the FY 2003 request.

This Enterprise conducts research "to address opportunities and 
challenges of human exploration of space."  The FY 2004 request 
includes $39 million for a new Human Research Initiative and responds 
to last year's Research Maximization and Prioritization (ReMAP) study.  
The three themes are as follows:

 - Biological Sciences Research: The FY 2004 request of $359 million
supports Fundamental Space Biology and Bioastronautics Research.

 - Physical Sciences Research: The $353 million request responds to 
the ReMAP study by realigning funds and providing adequate levels of 
reserves for high priority areas of Space Station research operations 
and hardware development.

 - Research Partnerships and Flight Support: The $261 million request
includes funding for Space Product Development and additional
research/logistics missions to Space Station.

SPACE FLIGHT ENTERPRISE: $6,110 million; down 10.5% from NASA's FY 
2002 operating plan; up 0.1% from the FY 2003 request.

This enterprise "provides many critical enabling capabilities that 
make possible much of the science, research, and exploration 
achievements of the rest of the Agency."  The request includes $3,968 
million for the Space Shuttle, $434 million for Space and Flight 
Support, and $1,707 million for the International Space Station.  
Regarding the Space Station, the budget documents state that "funding 
drops as planned as development activities near an end and on-orbit 
operations and research becomes the focus of the program....  The 
Space Station program is well on its way to completing work on the 
U.S. Core Complete configuration...and the last U.S. flight element is 
scheduled for delivery to NASA by the spring of 2003."  However, it is 
unknown how the Columbia tragedy will affect the budget and schedule 
of NASA's space flight programs, including completion of Space Station 
construction.                                   

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