House Approves $600 Million for NASA in Economic Stimulus

The U.S. House of Representatives included $600 million for NASA in the $819 million economic stimulus bill it passed Jan. 25. The Senate version of the bill, due to be taken up the week of Feb. 2, contains $1.5 billion for NASA, including $500 million to shorten the gap between the retirement of the space shuttle and the first flight of its successor.

The House bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1), includes no money for NASA human spaceflight programs. An amendment sponsored by freshman Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.) that would have added $2 billion to narrow the gap between shuttle and its successor was rejected by the House Rules Committee.

The bulk of the NASA money in H.R. 1 - some $400 million - is designated for Earth science satellite programs and climate change research.

H.R. 1 also includes $150 million for aeronautics, and $50 million to repair NASA facilities damaged by Hurricane Ike last summer.

The Senate version of the bill, S. 336, includes $500 million for Earth science, $250 million for aeronautics and $250 million for hurricane repair and other NASA infrastructure projects.

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