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  2. NASA: New Initiatives - None

NASA: New Initiatives - None

By catdynamics on May 7, 2009.

NASA 2010 budget request is out.
Not very stimulating, especially for Astrophysics.

NASA still does not have a nominated Administrator, and really does not have a direction, even though key and somewhat irrevocable decisions are imminent, in particular on the retirement of the Shuttle and development of the "Constellation" expendable launch system that has been under development.
Maybe Obama is bit distracted, or something.

Anyway, there is a 2010 NASA requested budget

and it sucks.

Apart from Earth Science, the Science directorate outlook is nicely summarized by the headline in the divisions:

New Initiatives: None

Science Directorate:

2008 Actual - $4,733M
2009 Enacted - $4,903M (including stimulus)
2010 Bush - $4,482M
2010 Obama - $4,477

Yes, Obama is requesting less than Bush for '10
the reduction is primarily for Earth Sciences though, which presumably had some planned 2010 expenses accelerated to 2009

Good news is the forecast requests from Obama are higher than Bush's forecast requests, but about $200M each year - which is about 4%
But 2013 NASA's Science Budget might reach the 2008 request, which was not adequate to do what was planned.

However, the forecast budgets for the divisions looks suspicously "rounded".
These aren't real cost estimates - these are approximate numbers, rounded to the nearest $50 million or so, and then tagged to be flat or get "some increase", in round numbers.

No New Initiatives
Really - there is no room for anything new under this budget.
Maybe, if JWST has no further cost overruns, including its current cushion, and if DoE actually uses stimulus$ to pick up a chunk of SNAP, then maybe one new line can be opened...

Anyway, here is Astrophysics:

2008 Actual - $1,395
2009 Enacted - $1,281
2010 Bush req - $1,122
2010 Obama - $1,120

2011 Obama req - $1,074 !!!
2012 Obama req - $1,042 !!!!

Yup, those are actual real cuts for Astrophysics projected for the next two years.
Ouch.

Definitely no new toys for us.
This is what happens when there is no one championing the agency at the top level, and the bloomin' Exploration people left their mess

Very depressing.

Tags
astro
Politics

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no one championing the agency at the top level

You do realize this is Obama, right? These cuts are completely in line with his world view, not the result of a failure to have the right advocate within the administration.