NASA Budget Update

In January 2004, President Bush announced his new Vision for Space Exploration, with the goal of taking humans to the Moon again, and eventually, to Mars. Though this was to be an expensive endeavor, science, both the President and NASA promised, would not be affected. However, on February 6, 2006, the White House presented the NASA budget for 2007, and it appears that science will actually take a severe hit. Though the NASA budget will experience an increase of 3.2%, the funding for science will only increase by 1.5%, and the budget will increase only by 1% for subsequent years. The results: funding for astrobiology will be 50% of its present value, Europa mission cancelled, Terrestrial Planet Finder cancelled, SIM delayed, scout missions to Mars cancelled, and Dawn missions to explore asteroids cancelled. More discussion from Fraser Cain here.