Dátum: 1997. december 5., péntek (15:49 UT) |
Feladó: |
Tárgy: News from NASA |
Haho,
Atkuldom nektek, hatha erdekel valakit.
Aki nem olvas konnyen es gyorsan angolul, az hagyja a csudaba,
nem valami erdekes az egesz.
hoi
>>Subject: Letter from Dr. Wes Huntress
>>
>>Dear Colleague:
>>
>>
>>This summer's Congressional Budget season has concluded with a
>>monumental result for Space Science. The Congress has accepted the
>>Administration's proposal for a new Origins Initiative in Space Science
>>and has approved the funding augmentation required to start the
>>proposed new programs in the FY 1998 budget.
>>
>>Just one year ago, NASA was working with the National Academy of
>>Science and the White House to develop the science goals and program
>>content for the "Origins" initiative in Space Science. The President
>>had just released his new Civil Space Policy in September 1996
>>containing specific directives to NASA relevant to Space Science. In
>>October 1996, the Space Studies Board conducted its Space Science
>>Workshop and produced a report for the Vice President. The Vice
>>President then conducted his own workshop on Space Science with
>>selected members of the science community on December 11, 1996. The
>>outcome of all this activity was the new Origins program content in the
>>President's FY 1998 budget proposal for NASA submitted to Congress in
>>February 1997 which the Congress has now approved and the President has
>>signed.
>>
>>Another result of the FY 1998 Congressional budget process was the
>>extraordinary support for the future of Space Science. The VA, HUD and
>>Independent Agencies Appropriations Act which funds NASA contains
>>specific language regarding Congressional expectation that the
>>Administration submit an FY 1999 budget which fully supports the
>>outyear runout for Space Science contained in the FY 1998 Congressional
>>budget. At the same time, however, the Congress and Administration
>>reached an agreement on a balanced budget for the Nation by 2002.
>>This agreement is not compatible with the outyear runout of the
>>Federal FY 1998 budget and will require significant outyear
>>reductions across the Federal Government. The budget pressures
>>will not ease, and the new programs for Space Science in our Strategic
>>Plan will continue to be a fiscal challenge in the future. We must
>>continue to demonstrate the value of Space Science to the Nation by
>>delivering--both on time and on budget--the quality science that the
>>public has come to expect.
>>
>>The Congress also added language to the Appropriations bill which
>>requires Space Science to consolidate its Advanced Technology
>>Development (ATD) activities into a single budget line and to broadly
>>compete 75 percent of all ATD funds. Since the dissolution of NASA's
>>Technology Office last year and the acquisition of some of its
>>technology programs by Space Science, we have been restructuring the
>>entire Space Science technology program including the processes by
>>which we make funding decisions. We agree wholeheartedly with the
>>intent of the Appropriations Committees in the appropriate use of
>>competition in making funding decisions for ATD.
>>
>>Therefore, we will be working to establish the appropriate balance in
>>Space Science between directed technology development to enable
>>approved missions at the promised cost, maintenance of core
>>capabilities at the Centers to carry out the development of these
>>missions, and broadly competed advanced technology development (ATD).
>>To assist the Office of Space Science in this process, we will be
>>conducting an internal Agencywide review; and, also, we will be seeking
>>advice from the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and from
>>other Federal Agencies involved in technology development.
>>
>>Fiscal Year 1998 initiates a significant change in the future for Space
>>Science and constitutes a healthy start in realizing the vision and
>>missions articulated in the new Space Science Strategic Plan to be
>>published early next month. We should all be grateful to our champions
>>in the Administration, the Congress, and the public who have responded
>>so positively to the exciting things we are doing in Space Science and
>>who have all supported us in making this possible. We must now work to
>>ensure that this vision for the Nation is maintained as we proceed
>>through the continuing difficult fiscal years ahead.
>>
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>
>>
>>Wesley T. Huntress, Jr.
>>Associate Administrator
>> for Space Science