SPACE.com -- President Clinton signed into law a bill funding NASA for the comingtwo years.


	President Clinton signed into law a bill funding NASA for the comingtwo years. By Craig Linder Special to SPACE.com posted: 06:15 pm ET 01 November 2000

WASHINGTON (States News Service) -- President Clinton signed into law a bill funding NASA for the coming two years earlier this week, but he expressed concern about some of the act's provisions

WASHINGTON (States News Service) -- President Clinton signed into law a bill funding NASA for the coming two years earlier this week, but he expressed concern about some of the act's provisions.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2000 permits the space agency to spend $14.2 billion in 2001 and $14.6 billion in 2002, but places a cap on further American spending on the International Space Station (ISS).

"This bill falls short of enabling NASA to conduct the most balanced, efficient and effective space program," Clinton said.

The NASA authorization bill -- the first in several years -- caps the agency's space station spending at $25 billion on building the ISS and $17.7 billion on space shuttle missions necessary to haul supplies and materials to the orbiting construction zone.

President Clinton said that the cap "limits NASA's flexibility to pursue a promising commercial habitation module for the International Space Station."

A NASA spokeswoman declined to elaborate on Clinton's statement, saying, that it "speaks for itself."

White House spokesman Jason Schecter said that Clinton also objects to one provision in the law that requires NASA to notify Congress within 90 days of a decision to replace any Russian elements of the ISS program. The president also objects to a second that would require the space agency to certify before Congress before reaching any agreement with China on spacecraft, launches or scientific information.

Also included in NASA's funding is $221 million for the Triana project, a controversial effort to launch a satellite into outer space that would provide constantly updated images of the sunlit side of Earth to the Internet.

The Triana project was first proposed by Vice President Al Gore in 1998 and swiftly attacked by Republicans in Congress as a waste of taxpayer funds. A March report National Research Council said, however, that the program had scientific merit.