February 26, 2013

Sequestration will Have Large Impact on NASA

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=43367

Sequestration will have a significant impact on NASA Programs with up to 8.5% of the budget lost with across the board cuts.  Congressman Steve Stockman whose district which includes  Johnson Space Center  stated while visiting Mission Control that Obama’s proposed sequester would be disastrous for NASA, which is already his punching bag,” said Stockman. “Not only can you increase NASA funding while balancing the budget, cutting spending, cutting taxes and reducing the debt, it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do. Every dollar spent on NASA produces real value for our economy and our defense.”  “NASA funding fulfills one of the few legitimate functions of government. Friday’s destructive explosion over Russia of a meteor we never saw, and the near-hit by an asteroid, should be a warning to Obama against further cuts to NASA,” said Stockman. “Cuts to NASA jeopardize our safety and security.”

Furthermore, a letter written by NASA administrator to Senator Barbara A. Mikulski which was published on Space Ref.com was in response to the impacts and seriousness of these cuts to NASA Programs.  Our response articulates impacts of sequestration relative to the President's FY 2013 budget request for NASA of $17,711.4 million in direct discretionary funding. NASA estimates that a March 1 sequester applied to the annualized levels in the current FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations Resolution (Section 101, P.L. 112-175) would reduce the total NASA funding level to $16,984.7 million in direct discretionary funding, or $726.7 million less than the President's FY 2013 budget request, and $894.1 million less than the annualized levels in the current FY 2013 Continuing Appropriations Resolution.  The letter continues to breakdown where large cuts will take place with Commercial Crew programs taking the largest cuts.  A $227.8 million sequester impact on Construction and Environmental Compliance and Restoration (CECR)  would have negative impacts of infastructure needed for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle,  Launch Services, Rocket Propulsion Test, 21st Century Launch Complex, Commercial Crew and Cargo, and Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) programs.

Links to Story:

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=43367

http://stockman.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/stockman-to-visit-jsc-outline-plans-to-stop-sequester-and-boost-nasa


Space X 2 Launch Set for March 1

                                                SpaceX 2 Launch Set for March 1
                           http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/launch/index.html



Space X  Dragon Capsule

NASA and its international partners are targeting Friday, March 1, for the next cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station by Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX). Launch is scheduled for 10:10 a.m. EST from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

SpaceX's Dragon capsule will be filled with about 1,200 pounds of supplies for the space station crew and experiments being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory.