THE U.S. CIVIL SPACE PROGRAM

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THE U.S. CIVIL SPACE PROGRAM

The President's FY 2000 budget provides resources for several ongoing and new activities in support of NASA's missions. Highlights include:

Increased funding for International Space Station Program. NASA's budget includes $2.46 billion for the International Space Station (ISS), which began assembly in orbit in 1998 with the launch of the first U.S. and Russian elements. The Russian economic situation has increased uncertainty about Russia's ability to meet future critical milestones in this international development program. While the Administration remains committed to Russia's participation in this multi-national partnership, the budget reflects key steps taken to help ensure the ultimate success of this complex international program. By increasing funding for the ISS, the Administration will help to maintain the construction schedule and enable development of backup capabilities in the event of potential shortfalls in Russian contributions. In addition to this "backup strategy," the Administration has established special oversight of the ISS as one of 24 priority management objectives listed in the President's Budget to help eliminate cost growth.

Increased funding for NASA's Space Science Program. The budget includes $2.2 billion (4% increase over FY 1999 enacted levels) for Space Science. This increase in funding will allow NASA's Space Science enterprise to continue making significant discoveries as it did in 1998, which included: the first image of a planet outside our solar system; evidence of ice on the moon; measurements of the largest explosion since the Big Bang; detailed study of Mars; and images of sun quakes and matter being consumed by black holes.

Increased funding for NASA's Earth Science Program. The budget funds Earth Science at $1.46 billion (3% increase over FY 1999). In 2000, NASA plans to launch the first in a new series of faster, cheaper satellites, known as Earth System Science Pathfinders, seeking to understand the influence of natural processes and human activities on the global environment.

For its other missions, the NASA budget includes; $254 million for Advanced Space Transportation Technology to initiate development of the first in a new series of reusable launch vehicle demonstrations, known as Future-X; $620 million for Aeronautics Research and Technology programs, including $90 million for Aviation Safety R&D; and $1.2 billion in funds after 2000 to support new launch vehicles to lower NASA's launch costs. Finally, the FY 2000 budget includes a $493 million, five-year technology investment to leverage recent successes in Space Science, such as the Mars Pathfinder, and to enable robotic scientific outposts throughout the solar system.

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