President Obama’s proposed budget and NASA

While dropping entrecards I came across the blog First Door on the Left where I found a scribd document detailing the proposed budget for 2010. It was really interesting reading through the financial plan for this nation, but then I came across the section on NASA; $18.7 billion dollars plus $1 billion from the American Recovery and Investment Act. The budget also gives a commitment to manned spaceflight and a return to the moon. The development of a replacement for the suttle and the International Space Station (ISS) are also funded. NASA's section in the report on the budget begin on page 109 of the scribd document below. It is really amazing that public support (assuming the action of politicians indicates what the public wants which could be a bad assumtion) is still in favor of space exploration.

I'm curious through, do you think that this is a apporpriate use of tax dollars.
A New Era of Responsibility: The President's 2010 Budget Proposal

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Periodicals & Report budget Barack Obama

So, What Does the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act say about NASA

That is a really long title, sorry about that. But, either way, please enjoy what the stimulus package says about NASA. We are tossing huge amounts of money into changing the game, we may even move into a space based economy because of this act. Furthermore, NASA is not getting a blank check, they have to mange these funds with a strong plan. I will follow this post with detailed explanation of some of the programs detailed in this act. I'm also looking through the act for research funding to other areas of science, but this part of the act is on the main topic of my blog, so I'm posting it.

But, 400 million dollars to exploration is very impressive considering the political environment and that 400 million is less than half of what NASA is getting. It is an amazing time to be in this field, even politicians see the benefit of space. Well, I'm not going to hold you back any more, please, sit back and enjoy the jaw dropping, mouth watering, NASA stimulus.

SCIENCE
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE
ADMINISTRATION
NASA is directed to submit to the House
and Senate Committees on Appropriations a
spending plan, signed by the Administrator,
detailing its intended allocation of funds
provided in this Act within 60 days of enactment
of this Act.
SCIENCE
The conference agreement includes
$400,000,000 for Science, to remain available
until September 30, 2010. Funding is included
herein to accelerate the development of the
tier 1 set of Earth science climate research
missions recommended by the National
Academies Decadal Survey and to increase
the agency’s supercomputing capabilities.
AERONAUTICS
The conference agreement includes
$150,000,000 for aeronautics, to remain available
until September 30, 2010. These funds
are available for system-level research, development
and demonstration activities related
to aviation safety, environmental impact
mitigation and the Next Generation Air
Transportation System (NextGen).
EXPLORATION
The conference agreement includes
$400,000,000 for exploration, to remain available
until September 30, 2010.
CROSS AGENCY SUPPORT
The conference agreement includes
$50,000,000 for cross agency support, to remain
available until September 30, 2010. In
allocating these funds, NASA shall give its
highest priority to restore NASA-owned facilities
damaged from hurricanes and other
natural disasters occurring during calendar
year 2008.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
The conference agreement includes
$2,000,000 for the Office of Inspector General,
to remain available until September 30, 2013.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
NSF is directed to submit to the House and
Senate Committees on Appropriations a
spending plan, signed by the Director, detailing
its intended allocation of funds provided
in this Act within 60 days of enactment of
this Act.
RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES
For research and related activities, the
conference agreement provides a total of
$2,500,000,000, to remain available until September
30, 2010. Within this amount,
$300,000,000 shall be available solely for the
major research instrumentation program
and $200,000,000 shall be available for activities
authorized by title II of Public Law 100–
570 for academic facilities modernization. In
allocating the resources provided under this
heading, the conferees direct that NSF support
all research divisions and support advancements
in supercomputing technology.
EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES
The conference agreement includes
$100,000,000 for education and human resources,
to remain available until September
30, 2010. These funds shall be allocated as follows:
Robert Noyce Scholarship
Program ......................... $60,000,000
Math and Science Partnerships
............................... 25,000,000
Professional Science Master’s
Programs ................ 15,000,000
MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES
CONSTRUCTION
The conference agreement includes
$400,000,000 for major research equipment and
facilities construction, to remain available
until September 30, 2010.

The original document is here.

Creativity in Negative Times

Many space bloggers have been ranting about the reduction in science funds included in the stimulus package while it was in debate. While they do have a valid point and I agree that a reduction is a move in the wrong direction, I think the space community should be gracious. I believe there is enough public will to shut down NASA and other government funded science programs. Someone who has lost their job simply would want the government to focus on creating jobs, not going to mars. The space community must tread lightly when discussing issues involving funding at this time.

The title of this post comes from a Morningcoach podcast of the same name. JB Glossinger presents a very positive commentary on the nation's economic crisis. JB quotes a blog post by Seth Godin. From Seth's blog, "Grave new world". Both the podcast and the blog post have inspired me to write this.

Creativity loves a problem, but it hates a lousy audience.

If everyone around you is sure the economy is tanking, that the end is near, that time is up and the company is headed for the tubes, it's almost impossible to find a creative solution.

Creativity changes the game, whatever game is being played. "We're going to run out of cash by the end of the year," is accurate unless you count creativity into the equation. Then the accurate statement is, "Under the current rules and assumptions, we're going to run out of cash..." Big difference.

Creativity demands exposure to market needs, and insulation from market fears. Give it some time to work, some support, some breathing room. That's when creativity has a chance to change the game(1).

Creativity loves this economic problem. The US government is trying plans on unheard of 20 years ago. The economy is redefining American society and those who can find a way serve the new society will be ultra successful. The bad news is, America is doomed if one looks at our current social/political/economic structure. We can not compete in manufacturing like we once did. We are losing our edge in the global market place. But, let us look outside the box.

We are a nation of thinkers and of free thought, but we are also a nation of businessmen and businesswomen. It is my observations of the stock market and bank lending practices (or, lack there of) at this time that I base the following claim on: the investors of this nation are curled up in the fetal position, rocking back and forth, sucking their thumbs and screaming "The world is over, the world is over". That is a problem because those investors are the audience for game changing ideas. Creativity does not like this "lousy audience"(2).

So, here is my comment on the funding of science in the economic package. The US needs to change the game, that means we need people out their who will listen to our creative people. The President is striving for this, but we can do more. We need a place were ideas can flourish, we are all exposed to the market needs, but, because of media over saturation, we are also exposed to market fears. Under the current rules and assumptions ideas like a moon and mars colony or space solar power would be laughed at. With tons of people whining about the lack of money when it still exists, game changing ideas will be crushed. We need to support this nation's ideas. The only thing that can save us now is an idea.

The science agencies of this nation will always listen. For example, if someone claimed to have invited anti-gravity, NASA will at least look at the paper or the experiment. Universities might not as they tighten their belts. We need a professional audience, unaffected by market fears. Unmotivated by money, but by curiosity. So, the following numbers are great:

Science:

• $8.5 billion for programs at the National Institutes of Health, including biomedical research on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, cancer and heart disease.

• $3 billion for basic research by the National Science Foundation.

• $1.6 billion for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science for areas such as climate, biofuels, high-energy physics, nuclear physics and fusion energy.

• $1.5 billion for NIH to renovate university research facilities.

• $1 billion for NASA, including $400 million for climate change research.(3)

But I ask you, is that enough to create a game changing audience and a sanctuary from the market.

Sources:

• 1 and 2: Seth G. Seth's Blog: A grave new world [Internet]. Feb. 3, 2009 - [Cited Feb. 14, 2009]. Available from: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/grave-new-world.html
• 3: Gannett News Service. What’s in the stimulus package [Internet]. Deb 13, 2009 - [Cited Feb. 14, 2009] Available from: http://www.freep.com/article/20090213/NEWS15/90213102