WASHINGTON, April 6 (States News Service) – NASA Administrator Dan Goldin told Congress Thursday, April 6, that Russia’s repair mission to Mir station could be a possible "breach of relations" with the United States if the action jeopardized work on the International Space Station.

"I am highly frustrated by the fact that the Russians…lost sight of a commitment they made to the president of the United States on performing on the International Space Station," he said before the House VA-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee.

Members of the panel, including its chairman, Rep. James Walsh (R-New York), appeared particularly concerned by news from Russia that funds would be put toward fixing the Mir station – an abandoned project in the United States – despite costly delays on delivery of its Zvezda service module to the space station.

Although Goldin has in the past defended Russia, he voiced anger today.

Goldin warned if Russia’s decision to focus attention on Mir siphoned money from its service module, it would be a "breach" in the two countries’ partnership, and would warrant "very significant discussion at the highest levels of government."

No United States money was used for today’s Mir mission, Goldin said.

Frustration with Russia has also been growing in Congress, and Rep. David Hobson (R-Ohio) and Robert Cramer (D-Alabama), both pressed the NASA panel, made up of the agency’s top administrators, to disclose a cost estimate for operating the space station.

But Joseph Rothenberg, NASA associate administrator for Human Space Flight, was unable to provide one because, he said, the amount of pieces that are to be needed is unclear.

In the wake of an independent review of NASA’s Mars program that said it has been under-funded by 50 to 80 percent, Goldin said centers are appealing to the space agency for more money. "I can tell you what’s happening," he told the congressmen. "Every single program is coming back to us and telling us how much more money they need."

But Goldin said he wouldn’t ask for any more money from Congress, while issuing a warning to his agency: "I want the message to go out to our work force and contractors -- do not look to fit yourselves under the umbrella of ‘get well funding.’ I will continue to hold you fully accountable."

Although he stressed that mentoring and training of younger staff in all of NASA’s 10 centers were areas that could be improved at little cost, Goldin said the recent Mars report showed the agency was cutting too deeply into its contingency funds for complicated missions.

Goldin said the agency had gotten too "heady" by trying to cut too deeply into reserves to free up money and pledged to raise levels of contingency funds for missions.

"We will probably need more money," he said, apparently of the agency in general.