Trump proposes $500 million cut to NASA - Chron.com

A rendering provided by NASA of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, or Wfirst, telescope. It could be a casualty of the budget cuts proposed for NASA.

A rendering provided by NASA of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, or Wfirst, telescope. It could be a casualty of the budget cuts proposed for NASA.
Photo: HARRIS CORPORATION/TJT PHOTOGRAPHY, NYT

Photo: HARRIS CORPORATION/TJT PHOTOGRAPHY, NYT

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A rendering provided by NASA of the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope, or Wfirst, telescope. It could be a casualty of the budget cuts proposed for NASA.

Photo: HARRIS CORPORATION/TJT PHOTOGRAPHY, NYT

NASA would face a $500 million cut in the coming budget year under a proposal released Monday by President Donald Trump's administration -- but NASA officials say the budget still is strong.

"This is a really good budget for NASA," Mark Geyer, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said Monday. "We're blessed with this budget."

Just last month, Trump signed the budget for the current year, allocating $21.5 billion to the history making space agency. The proposal released Monday for fiscal year 2020, which starts Oct. 1, would only provide $21 billion.

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The most notable cuts come to the Space Launch System rocket, which is being built to carry the Orion spacecraft to the moon. Orion will carry humans back to the moon for the first time since 1972.

Trump's budget request postpones funding for upgrades to the rocket that would increase its performance, instead focusing on completing the initial version.

SLS has faced major cost and scheduling setbacks and NASA now plans on launching it with Exploration Mission-1, the uncrewed flight of Orion, by 2020.

During a speech at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, agency Administrator Jim Bridenstine addressed the criticism of SLS, saying that it is vital to the country's plans to return to the moon.

"On this point I want to be crystal clear: SLS is not reusable but it is a critical piece of the architecture that enables us to deliver re-usability to the moon," Bridenstine said.

The agency needs SLS, Bridenstine said, to build the Lunar Orbital-Platform Gateway, a mini-space station NASA wants to build around the moon. The gateway is fully funded under the budget proposal, which also provides $363 million to support commercial development of a moon lander that first will take cargo and later humans to the surface.

It also funds a human return to the moon in 2028.

"For the first time in over 10 years, we have money in this budget for a return to the moon with humans," Bridenstine said. "Human-rated landers, compatible with the gateway, can go back and forth to the moon. And we're funding them to go to the moon."

The proposal also removes a payload from SLS's planned manifest. A mission that will study Jupiter's moon, Europa -- called the Europa Clipper mission -- would be removed from SLS, and instead launched in 2023 on the back of a commercial launch vehicle.

Budget documents state that this will save NASA $700 million.

The James Webb Space Telescope -- the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope that has orbited the Earth for 28 years -- would be fully funded with $352.6 million under the proposal. Initially expected to launch in 2007, Webb has now been delayed until March 2021 after it breached the $8 billion spending cap set by Congress in 2011. Scientists say they now need $9 billion to finish the telescope.

Bridenstine, however, defended the mission.

"This administration is committed to the James Webb telescope and our number one agenda is mission success," Bridenstine said. "This mission is so important to the United States of America and here's why: it will establish us as the leader in physics for the next 30 years."

While Trump's budget calls for fully funding James Webb, it's successor, the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), wouldn't receive any money. It also eliminates funding for the Office of Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics Engagement, previously known as the Office of Education, and two Earth science missions, although which missions would be cut is unclear.

The Trump administration attempted to cut the Office of Education in 2018 and 2018, but the idea faced significant backlash in Congress.

The proposal includes $1.5 billion for the International Space Station, but also funds new commercial capabilities to facilitate a transition to commercial activities in low Earth orbit, where the space station flies. Last year, Trump proposed ending federal funding for the space station at the end of 2024, allowing commercial companies to take over operations.

This proposal was met with resistance from Congress. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has said that kind of timeline likely isn't feasible.

The budget documents released Monday, however, make no reference to ending federal funding for ISS.

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"By 2025, the Budget envisions commercial capabilities on the International Space Station as well as new commercial facilities and platforms to continue the American presence in Earth orbit," budget documents state.

Alex Stuckey writes about NASA and the environment for the Houston Chronicle. You can reach her at alex.stuceky@chron.com or Twitter.com/alexdstuckey.

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