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Permalink Reply by Joel Craig Raupe on May 21, 2008 at 6:52am

A Full Tip of a Lunar Libration tip to Jeff Foust, once again, for a far better follow-up than I would have had time to have done - along with his usual circumspect analysis, added to his coverage SPACE POLITICS and the sudden progress of the NASA Appropriations Act of 2008, unanimously, and reportedly without debate, approved by committee, yesterday.

My link to the bill text above was from preliminary Mark Up before the just-introduced HR 6063 had been added by the Clerk of the House to the more accessible public listings. All "Interested Persons" should bookmark, stencil, flag, or otherwise configure Quick Access to Jeff's Space Politics blog (Not to forget the essential SPACE REVIEW) remembering keeping track of the Event Horizon encountered Inside the Beltway is not just about NASA's funding... its about the short-term planning that passes for the always difficult to Engrave in Stone long-term policy of the federal government. (It's about Space Law and Regulation, also.)

Recommended Reading: Additional tidbits in the authorization bill - by Jeff Foust @ Spae Politics

As expected, the Resolution is a template upon which everyone can project their personal vision. As a Resolution, it's just the first in a long step prior to inclusion into FY 2009 federal funding. From the State to Federal level, however, I sense a trend not to get bogged down in budgetary battles or minutiae not of immeduate interest to a volatile electorate with little patience for silliness when choosing between food and gasoline - at the present moment. The Throw the Bums Out mood is thick as a neutron star, right now, and Democrat leaders are aware confidence is not just low in Republicans, tied to the president popularity, but little better for Democrats and also in general for the Democratic-controlled Congress.

The bill seems to be on a fast track and includes increased funding, (including taking one of two remaining "contengency" Shuttle Flights and placing it back into the Manifest prior to retirement) - the letter signed by Heavy-Hitting commercial vendor executives very recently may have had its intended effect (they have generous PACs, also) or may have been timed to appear that way.

In keeping with the thought of trending away from controversies not sympathetic with voters experiencing "gasoline price fatigue," a higher bar and an on-going and funded Fiscal Year will be underway when the next Congress and President begin business in January. My opinion: They're taking NASA off the table through this election.

We'll soon see how Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) deals with that when the Budget makes it to the Senate, failure to concur, and an eventual Conference Report. The bill will change, so don't look away when the good people of Oz tell you the Wizard has left the building.

All of which is very practical in the near-term, which is in keeping with the way Congress was designed but frustrates federally-funded science as a consequence.

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