Says 2005 Proposed Budget Is $16.2 Billion
Last week, President Bush launched a new, aggressive space
initiative. This week, NASA's new budget has been beefed-up in
order to accomplish this lofty goal. In more specific terms, the
agency's proposed budget for fiscal 2005 will be $16.2 billion, a
5.6 percent increase meant to jump-start President Bush's plan for
missions to the moon and Mars.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe said his agency was well-placed
to begin the ambitious space exploration program, even with the
shuttle fleet grounded since the Feb. 1 Columbia disaster and no
clear indication for when the shuttle fleet will resume flight.
"In many ways, we're probably better positioned right now than
we might have been otherwise," O'Keefe told r