I respectfully submit that NASA has indeed suffered serious budget
cuts.

"NASA has the smallest budget of the major agencies in the Federal
Government. Its budget has represented less than 1 percent of the
total Federal budget each year since 1977. "
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/HTML/FS-003-HQ.html

"By one measure, the nation no longer seems so committed to space.
Since the 1960's NASA got only 5 percent of the federal budget.
Today, that is now down to less than 1 percent. "
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/03/eveningnews/main539202.shtm
l

So, the budget shrunk from 5% to less than 1%.

Now, on the playing on the mind, let's look at a few so-
called "increases". A few times these last 10 years or so Congress
actually increased NASA's budget by 2%.

But, in reality, this is not an increase at all because the annual
increase in the cost of living is over 2%.

What a con.

>From 5% to less than 1%. That's quite a drop. Near weightlessness
I'd say.

Russia is just sputtering along too.. but they seem to have, or
allow, more salesmanship and entrepreneurial initiatives as
evidenced by their thusfar successful space tourism attempts.

Very well said George.

Regards,
Rick Fischer
rick.fischer@...

Inside KSC.com
http://www.insideksc.com

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From: George Perkins [mailto:george@...]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 7:46 PM
To: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [spacesettlers] NASA Budget Cuts

I respectfully submit that NASA has indeed suffered serious budget
cuts.

"NASA has the smallest budget of the major agencies in the Federal
Government. Its budget has represented less than 1 percent of the
total Federal budget each year since 1977. "
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/HTML/FS-003-HQ.html

"By one measure, the nation no longer seems so committed to space.
Since the 1960's NASA got only 5 percent of the federal budget.
Today, that is now down to less than 1 percent. "
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/03/eveningnews/main539202.shtm
l

So, the budget shrunk from 5% to less than 1%.

Now, on the playing on the mind, let's look at a few so-
called "increases". A few times these last 10 years or so Congress
actually increased NASA's budget by 2%.

But, in reality, this is not an increase at all because the annual
increase in the cost of living is over 2%.

What a con.

>From 5% to less than 1%. That's quite a drop. Near weightlessness
I'd say.

Russia is just sputtering along too.. but they seem to have, or
allow, more salesmanship and entrepreneurial initiatives as
evidenced by their thusfar successful space tourism attempts.

_____

Let me define what I mean by a budget cut: this year's budget is
smaller (measured in dollars) than last year's budget, adjusted for
inflation. By this definition, NASA has rarely suffered a budget cut
(a few years in the 90s being the exceptions). Perhaps you have a
different definition?

On Jan 6, 2004, at 4:46 PM, George Perkins wrote:

>
> I respectfully submit that NASA has indeed suffered serious budget
> cuts.
>
> "NASA has the smallest budget of the major agencies in the Federal
> Government. Its budget has represented less than 1 percent of the
> total Federal budget each year since 1977. "
> http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/facts/HTML/FS-003-HQ.html
>
> "By one measure, the nation no longer seems so committed to space.
> Since the 1960's NASA got only 5 percent of the federal budget.
> Today, that is now down to less than 1 percent. "
> http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/03/eveningnews/main539202.shtm
> l
>
> So, the budget shrunk from 5% to less than 1%.
>
> Now, on the playing on the mind, let's look at a few so-
> called "increases". A few times these last 10 years or so Congress
> actually increased NASA's budget by 2%.
>
> But, in reality, this is not an increase at all because the annual
> increase in the cost of living is over 2%.
>
> What a con.
>
>> From 5% to less than 1%. That's quite a drop. Near weightlessness
> I'd say.
>
> Russia is just sputtering along too.. but they seem to have, or
> allow, more salesmanship and entrepreneurial initiatives as
> evidenced by their thusfar successful space tourism attempts.
>

The materials in one asteroid (the largest ) are sufficient to make
orbital space colonies with ~150 times the surface area of the Earth in
usable real estate. See http://lifesci3.arc.nasa.gov/SpaceSettlement/
for details.

Al Globus
CSC at NASA Ames Research Center
http://www.nas.nasa.gov/~globus/home.html

Views expressed in this email are only my opinions and are not the
position of any organization I'm familiar with.