Budgets
Choose an organization below, and click the links to view the budget update from a specific year.
FY 2004 Appropriations for the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)
(numbers are in millions)
| NASA | FY 2003 Omnibus | President's FY 2004 Request | % change FY 03 vs. FY 04 Request | FY 04 House | FY 04 Senate | FY 04 Conference (w/ recission) |
| Science, Aeronautics & Exploration | 9,207 | 7,661 | 21.3% | 7,708 | 7,731 | 7,883 |
| Office of Space Science | 3,665 | 4,007 | 9.3% | 3,934 | 3,980 | 3,973 |
| Sun-Earth Connections | — | 770 | — | — | — | — |
| Solar-B | 16.2 | 12.5 | -22.8% | — | — | — |
| Office of Earth Science | 1,719 | 1,552 | -9.7% | 1,566 | 1,562 | 1,607 |
| EOS | 410.9 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Aura | 85.3 | 52.5 | -38.5% | — | — | — |
| EOS Follow-on ("Advanced Concepts") | 238.5 | 274.4 | 15% | — | — | — |
| Climate Change Research Acceleration | n/a | 26.0 | n/a | — | — | — |
| Earth Science Education (where GLOBE resides) | 9.1 | 11.4 | 25.3% | — | — | — |
| Aerospace Technology | — | 959.0 | — | — | — | — |
| Aviation Safety & Security Program | — | 168.5 | — | — | — | — |
| Weather Safety Technologies | — | 42.3 | — | — | — | — |
| Education Enterprise | — | 169.8 | — | — | — | — |
| Minority Univ. Research & Education | 82.1 | 92.0 | 12.0% | — | — | — |
| TOTAL, NASA | 15,339 | 15,469 | 0.36% | 15,540 | 15,339 | 15,378 |
New Initiatives in the President's FY04 Budget Request
| Initiative | FY 2004 Request | FY 2004-2008 Total |
| Theme: To Understand and Protect Our Home Planet | ||
| Climate Change Research Acceleration | 26.0 | 72.0 |
| Aviation Security | 21.0 | 196.0 |
| National Airspace System Transition Augmentation | 27.0 | 100.0 |
| Quiet Aircraft Technology Acceleration | 15.0 | 100.0 |
| Theme: To Explore the Universe and Search for Life | ||
| Project Prometheus | 93.0 | 2,070.0 |
| Optical Communications | 31.0 | 233.0 |
| Beyond Einstein Initiative | 59.0 | 765.0 |
| Human Research Initiative | 39.0 | 347.0 |
| Theme: To Inspire the Next Generation of Explorers | ||
| Education Initiative | 26.0 | 130.0 |
Notes on Conference Agreement (12/1/03):
Seven of the 13 FY 2004 appropriations bills have been rolled into an omnibus bill, using the Agriculture spending bill (HR 2673) as the vehicle. A conference agreement (Report 108-401) has been released, which includes funding for NASA. The House may vote on the bill when it returns on December 8, the Senate may not vote on it until January (the Continuing Resolution expires Jan. 31).
The final appropriation for NASA is essentially flat; no numbers are called out for the Office of Earth Science (which funds climate change research) or the Office of Space Science. The Space Flight Capabilities account, which funds the International Space Station and space launch activities, was cut almost $400 million, due to the shuttle still not flying.
Notes on Senate Bill:
The Senate Appropriations Committee has completed work on its version of the FY 2004 VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill, providing NASA with $15.3 billion — a flat from the FY 2003 level and almost one percent below the President's request.
Within the Earth Science account, the committee decreased the Climate Change Research Initiative $11 million; the language does not provide any detail on this reduction.
The bill includes a requirement that the National Academy of Public Administration do a top to bottom management analysis of NASA, particularly in response to the recent Columbia Accident Investigations Board report which cited NASA management and culture as being a factor in the shuttle accident.
For the report language on NASA, go to Report 108-143.
Notes on House Bill:
The House Appropriations completed work on the VA-HUD bill on July 15 and provided NASA with $15.5 billion for next year — essentially keeping it flat. Very few details are provided in the committee report; appropriators are awaiting a report on the Columbia Shuttle investigation to determine funding levels for the accounts within Science, Aeronautics and Exploration.
In the accompanying report language, the committee directs NASA, "in cooperation with the Nation's leading research universities, to develop a comprehensive plan and implementation strategy that will result in an increase in the number of students pursuing advanced degrees" to address workforce issues.
For the report language on NASA, go to Report 108-235 (PDF).
Notes on President's FY04 budget request (2/21/03):
The President's request does not reflect pending changes in NASA funding due to the loss of Columbia. It is not known whether the new budget request will impact just the space flight account, or NASA's science accounts as well. The revised request should be completed by this summer.
Increases in the NASA accounts reflect the agency's new effort to include "full cost" accounting in the budget request, which now includes personnel and facilities costs.
The Climate Change Research Acceleration is a new intiative in FY04. This is designed to accelerate the development and launch of an advanced polarimeter to "increase our understanding of black carbon soot and other aerosols as causes of climate change."