It's Rocket Science

NASA has just released their FY2007 budget request and it shifts 4.63 billion dollars out of the space science budget between now and 2010. Where is this money going? You might think that it's supposed to pay for the work that's needed to put men back on the Moon and for the first landing on Mars, but you'd be wrong. Exploration Systems, which NASA says, "develops and demonstrates new
technologies that will enable NASA to conduct future human and robotic exploration missions, including the development of robotic precursor missions for lunar exploration" is losing $1.51 billion over the same time frame and Human Systems, which according to NASA: "advance knowledge and technology critical for supporting long-term human survival and performance during operations beyond low-Earth orbit,with a focus on improving medical care and human health maintenance", is getting whacked for $2.41 billion. That's an $8.55 billion decrease in the science budget.

Of this, $2.95 billion is going to pay for additional space shuttle missions, the destination of each being the International Space Station. You may remember the ISS, which was widely promoted by NASA hacks as being the greatest scientific tool since the invention of the microscope. If you do remember it, it's almost certainly not for the science, as it hasn't generated enough data to provide source material for a single decent dissertation.

Another $1.23 billion is earmarked for a new program called the Innovative Partnerships Program. This is a handout to private industry and a handful of national laboratories. NASA makes a big deal of talking about the Small Business Initiative for Research, which earmarks some of this money for small companies. They don't mention that the SBIR program accounts for only 2.5% of this spending. They also trumpet their Enterprise Engine which is a venture capital fund to sponsor "youngyoung, privately-held companies developing innovative, multi-use technologies that will meet NASA's future mission needs, as well as better position these technologies for future commercial use." This fund accounts for all of 1.0% of the IPP.

The rest of the windfall, some $6.8 billion including additional funds, is going to down the hole to create the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), the Crew Launch Vehicle (CLV), and the Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV), about which more will be said in the near future.