The numbers detailed in NASA鈥檚 2002 budget request aren鈥檛 nearly as interesting as the ones left out.
The agency presented its request on Monday asking for $14.5 billion, up just 1.8 per cent from 2001. It wants $2.1 billion for the International Space Station but in the breakdown of that spending, there were simply blanks.
The uncertainty reflects NASA鈥檚 difficulty in meeting the ISS mission goals with curtailed funds. The agency recently told Congress that the ISS is running $4 billion over budget.
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NASA has to find a way to pay for key ISS modules including the Crew Return Vehicle, the 鈥渓ife boat鈥� that would ferry up to seven astronauts back to earth in case of an emergency.
Without the CRV, the ISS must rely on a three-seater Russian Soyuz capsule for an escape pod, limiting the crew to three. A trio of astronauts are needed to run the ISS, so no one could conduct scientific research.
鈥淪omehow, someway鈥�
Last week, NASA administrator Dan Goldin told a Congressional committee that the agency would put off development of the CRV in order to finish the 鈥渃ore鈥� of the station for less than $25 billion.
But NASA will still find away to put a useful crew into orbit, Goldin said Monday: 鈥淲e will somehow, someway have adequate crew to meet the President鈥檚 dictate to do world-class science on the Space Station.鈥�
NASA will cut other ISS costs and may turn to its international partners for help with the CRV. It may take two to three months to fill in the budget blanks, Goldin said.
The tight budget also squeezes out a mission to Pluto. In September, NASA stopped work on the budget-busting Pluto/Kuiper Express. In December, the agency called for proposals for a mission to replace it. But Goldin said on Monday: 鈥淲e have agreed to continue that competition, although we don鈥檛 support funding it.鈥�
Related story: Budget cuts mean the ISS is scaled back
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