GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
President's space exploration initiative leaves agency's budget plans in upheaval and several projects in limbo
The upheaval within NASA caused by President George Bush's space exploration initiative has become clear with the release of the US space agency's fiscal year 2005 budget request. Programmes have been moved from one part of NASA to another; others are under urgent review and threat of cancellation.
The newly created Exploration Systems office has been earmarked for $1.8 billion of NASA's request for $16.2 billion, a total 5.6% higher than its FY2004 budget, with spending on exploration of the Solar System and beyond projected to reach $3.3 billion by FY2009. Expenditure on the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) will increase to $6.7 billion in FY2005, but then decrease to below $5.6 billion by FY2009.
Exploration Systems is responsible for Project Constellation to develop the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) central to Bush's plan to resume human missions to the Moon by 2015 at the earliest and launch a manned mission to Mars by the middle of the next decade. Project Prometheus to develop nuclear power and propulsion systems has been transferred from Space Science to Exploration Systems, along with its first demonstration mission, the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter planned launch for around 2015.
Associate administrator for exploration systems Craig Steidle says concept studies and preliminary design of the CEV are planned for FY2004-6, with a system design review at the end of 2005. The first test flight on an unmanned CEV prototype is scheduled for 2008, with advanced flight tests planned for 2010 and initial human-rated capability required no later than 2014 to support manned flights to the Moon.
Exploration Systems is also responsible for closing out NASA's Space Launch Initiative to develop a successor to the Shuttle. While work on the Orbital Space Plane will transition to the CEV, the future of the Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) project is less certain. Studies are under way to determine what NGLT components are still relevant, part of a decision on development of a heavylift launch capability expected within four to six months. "It's one of the first decisions," says Steidle. A heavylift demonstration is scheduled for 2008.
Plans call for Shuttle flights to be dedicated to ISS assembly until the Station's completion in 2010, when the vehicle will be retired. As the CEV will not be available to support the ISS before 2014, $140 million is set aside in the FY2005 budget to buy cargo and crew transport services using Russian, European or Japanese vehicles.
Human research on the ISS to support US space exploration is due for completion in 2017, after which responsibility for the station could shift to the international partners or a commercial operator, suggests associate administrator for space flight Bill Readdy. The international partners are to meet in March to decide the final configuration of the ISS and how it will be supported.
Source: Flight International
