NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE
ADMINISTRATION
AT A GLANCE:
2006 Discretionary Budget Authority: $16.5 billion
(Increase from 2005: 2 percent)
Major Programs:
• Exploration and science
• Space Shuttle and Space Station operations
• Aeronautics
MEETING PRESIDENTIAL GOALS
Agency-Specific Goals
• Pursuing a bold vision for sustained and affordable human and robotic exploration of space, with
the Moon as a first step toward human missions to Mars and beyond.
• Developing a new space vehicle to transport humans to the Moon.
• Focusing research and technology development activities, including those conducted on the
International Space Station, on enabling human and more productive robotic exploration of the
solar system.
• Returning the Space Shuttle safely to flight, completing construction of the International Space
Station, then retiring the Shuttle.
• Exploring the universe to understand its origin, structure, evolution, and destiny.
• Improving lives through Earth science and aeronautics research and education programs.
Making Government More Effective
• Improving the reliability of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s financial
management system.
• Implementing new agency-wide policies and processes to increase the accuracy of program cost
estimates and, in turn, improve program management.
• Reformulating or eliminating programs that do not directly advance the President’s space
exploration vision or other agency priorities, have not performed as well as others, or are
unsustainable given their high projected costs.
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AGENCY-SPECIFIC GOALS
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA’s) activities center on four major
areas: exploration, science, Space Shuttle and Space Station operations, and aeronautics research.
Gearing Up for Exploration
Recognizing the need to reinvigorate the Nation’s civil space program and keep NASA focused on
compelling and inspiring goals, President Bush outlined a bold, new vision for human and robotic
space exploration on January 14, 2004. NASA will develop the necessary capabilities to move humans
beyond Earth orbit, where we have been confined for more than 30 years, and on to the Moon, Mars,
and destinations beyond. Both human and robotic explorers will help broaden scientific understanding
of the universe and the possible existence of life beyond Earth.
Inspired by all that has come before, and guided by clear objectives,
today we set a new course for America’s space program.
We will give NASA a new focus and vision for future
exploration. We will build new ships to carry man forward into
the universe, to gain a new foothold on the moon, and to prepare
for new journeys to worlds beyond our own.
President George W. Bush
January 14, 2004
With work on some needed systems
already underway, the agency
is taking action on many of the
recommendations of the President’s
Commission on Implementation of
United States Space Exploration
Policy, a commission the President
assembled to help guide the vision’s
implementation. In keeping with
those recommendations, NASA
has undergone an organizational
transformation and has initiated
studies and discussions with industry and academic stakeholders to better understand the agency’s
options and opportunities for achieving the vision’s goals. The agency is also paying close attention
to the Commission’s call to engage private industry and other nations in space flight operations and
exploration activities.
New Vehicles and Technologies. To reach the Moon, Mars, and destinations beyond, NASA must
develop technologies and perform research that will sustain human and advanced robotic explorers
far from Earth. Among the key systems NASA must acquire is a vehicle that will transport crews in
a safe and reliablemanner. The agency has identified themajor requirements for a Crew Exploration
Vehicle to carry astronauts to the Moon and has asked industry to propose designs. NASA plans to
perform flight tests in 2008 and stage its first crewed flight in 2014.
Still other technologies will play vital roles in the success of the President’s vision. NASA will
continue to work with industry, academia, and other Government agencies to develop nuclear technologies
to provide energy sources for tools and instruments, lunar and planetary surface roving
vehicles, and extended human stays on the Moon and Mars. While high costs and technical concerns
prompted NASA to defer a nuclear-powered mission to study Jupiter’s icy moons, the agency will
start on a new nuclear technology demonstrator with direct applications to exploration. In addition,
NASA will pursue technologies such as optical communications and radiation shielding. Following
the model of the privately-run X Prize competition that led in 2004 to a small company successfully
launching its own piloted rocket into suborbital space, NASA’s new Centennial Challenges program
will offer cash prizes to spur companies to compete to make several of the technology breakthroughs
necessary for exploration.
THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 295
In an artist’s rendering, a lunar exploration team attaches an inflatable
laboratory to its landing vehicle.
Understanding the effects of space on humans.
Equally important to the agency’s technology
efforts is improving our understanding of how
long-duration space flight may affect human
health and physiology. NASA will engage in
research on the International Space Station
and on Earth to learn about and develop ways
to improve human tolerance of the space environment.
The agency is currently reevaluating
its biological and physical research activities to
determine how they can best serve exploration
needs.
Making Scientific Sense of Space and
Earth
Building on a strong performance record, the
agency will continue to launch probes to improve
scientific understanding of our planet and universe. Among the questions NASA’s space and Earth
science missions are helping to answer are: What scientific processes shaped the universe, stars, and
planets? Could life exist beyond Earth? How is Earth’s climate changing? NASA has combined its
space and Earth science organizations to facilitate data exchanges among scientists and maximize
technological investments in spacecraft that will study the Earth, Sun, planets, stars, and cosmos.
Unlocking Secrets of the Solar System and Universe. The President’s 2006 Budget provides NASA
with resources to pursue a program of exploration of the solar system and worlds beyond that not only
will broaden scientific understanding of the Sun, Earth, and planets but also will inform decisions
of where in the solar system human explorers should travel, the conditions they will endure, and
the technologies necessary to support them. NASA’s recent successful robotic investigations of Mars
and Saturn will soon be followed by spacecraft bound for the planets Mercury and Pluto, asteroids,
comets, and still other locations that have yet to be decided. The agency also will build on its legacy
of revolutionizing the science of astronomy. NASA will continue to operate prolific space telescopes
such as Hubble, Chandra, and Spitzer while planning for the next generation of spacecraft that will
enhance our ability to find planets around other stars, peer deep into the history of the universe, and
improve our understanding of its structure.
A Focus on the Moon and Mars. The President’s vision for space exploration calls for a series of
robotic spacecraft to explore the Moon starting in 2008 to advance lunar science, provide detailed
maps of the Moon’s physical geography and natural resources, and identify the best locations for
humans to visit. NASA plans to return humans to the Moon by 2020 to learn how to live and work
over the long periods of time that will be required for human visits to more distant locations. All
the while, NASA will build on the success of spacecraft currently orbiting Mars as well as the Spirit
and Opportunity rovers to develop and launch a series of increasingly capable spacecraft to orbit,
land, and travel on Mars to sharpen our scientific understanding and test many of the technologies
necessary to support future human exploration of the planet.
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AGENCY-SPECIFIC GOALS—Continued
Saturn and its rings, as imaged by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which
is currently in orbit around the planet.
Studying Earth and the Sun. The 2006 Budget
continues to fund NASA’s critical investments
in Earth science satellites, technologies, and
research. NASA plays a major part in the
interagency Climate Change Science Research
Program, contributes to the international
initiative on the Global Earth Observing System
of Systems, and has pioneered new methods to
improve forecasting of the weather, monitoring
of forest fires, and tracking of the spread of
pollutants. The agency will also continue to
develop space probes to study the Sun’s influence
on Earth and the space environment.
Capitalizing on Existing Space Infrastructure
The Space Shuttle has served as the centerpiece of the Nation’s human space flight program for
more than two decades. This vehicle is instrumental to the continued assembly of the International
Space Station, the unique in-space laboratory shared by multiple international partners. NASA is
committed to returning the Shuttle safely to flight for this purpose. Having worked diligently for
more than a year to address the safety recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation
Board, NASA anticipates that the Shuttle will resume operations during 2005.
NASA will retire the Space Shuttle once its role in Space Station assembly is complete. On January
14, 2004, the President said in announcing his Vision:
The Shuttle’s chief purpose over the next several years will be to help finish assembly
of the International Space Station. In 2010, the Space Shuttle—after nearly 30 years
of duty—will be retired from service.
International Space Station assembly will be completed by the end of the decade. NASA is examining
configurations for the Space Station that meet the needs of both the new space exploration vision
and our international partners using as few Shuttle flights as possible. This assessment is critical to
allowing NASA to continue work on Space Station assembly safely and retire the Shuttle as planned
to make way for the Crew Exploration Vehicle.
In concert with the new exploration vision, NASA will refocus U.S. Space Station research on activities
that prepare human explorers to travel beyond low Earth orbit, such as developing countermeasures
against space radiation and understanding the long-term physiological effects of reduced
gravity.
THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 297
Keeping America at the Forefront of Safe, Secure, Environmentally Sound Flight
NASA’s X-43A research craft set a speed record when its air-breathing
engine propelled the vehicle to nearly Mach 10, or 7,000 miles per hour,
in November 2004.
In 1903, the Wright brothers initiated the
era of aviation with their breakthrough flight
at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Since 1917,
when it was established as the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics, NASA has
led the world in the development of advanced
aeronautics technologies that have improved
the Nation’s aircraft and air transportation
system. Most recently NASA has focused on
ways to improve the safety and security of
aircraft and the National Airspace System
while reducing airport congestion, aircraft
noise, and air pollution.
Today, NASA is transforming its aeronautics
program to emphasize development and
demonstration of technologies critical to the
Nation’s future aviation requirements, in
areas where NASA has unique capabilities.
NASA will continue working closely with other Government agencies, academia, and industry to
modernize equipment, software, and procedures for significant improvements in air traffic and its
management both in the air and on the ground.
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MAKING GOVERNMENT MORE EFFECTIVE
NASA is undergoing a major transformation into a stronger, better managed Federal agency. As
its high ratings on several initiatives of the President’s Management Agenda show, the agency has
taken much-needed actions, such as improving the security of its computer systems, better managing
of its human capital needs, and justifying budget requests in terms of the results the agency expects
its programs to achieve. NASA is working toward improving the reliability of its financial management
system while strengthening the processes it uses to estimate its program and project costs.
In addition, the agency has addressed several of the management challenges uncovered by program
analyses using the Program Assessment Rating Tool. For example, the Space Station program has
improved management of its budget reserves and has developed new measures with which to gauge
its performance, while the Mars exploration program has begun to examine the technical feasibility,
potential schedules, and estimated costs associated with mission options for the next decade of Mars
exploration.
Update on the President’s Management Agenda
The table below provides an update on NASA’s implementation of the President’s Management
Agenda as of December 31, 2004.
Human Capital
Competitive
Sourcing
Financial
Performance E-Government
Budget and
Performance
Integration
Status
Progress
NASA remained strong in Human Capital by rolling out a multi-level employee performance appraisal system
and beginning to address workforce need changes resulting from its organizational transformation to focus on
the exploration vision. In support of Competitive Sourcing, the agency received and began to evaluate proposals
under standard competitions for business functions agency-wide and testing and machining services at the
Langley Research Center. NASA advanced E-Government by migrating from agency-specific information
technology (IT) systems to more efficient, Government-wide IT solutions, including ePayroll, and supported
Budget and Performance Integration by releasing new cost management standards to increase the accuracy of
project cost forecasting. NASA’s 2004 financial statements received a disclaimer. Embracing the challenge of a
financial management overhaul that began with the implementation of a new, integrated financial management
system, the agency will strive to improve in Financial Performance by developing a plan with credible milestones
to strengthen its financial management.
The 2006 President’s Budget includes $16.5 billion for NASA to make progress toward realizing the
President’s vision for space exploration and other agency priorities in a fiscally responsible manner.
In support of the President’s goal to make Government spending more effective, some programs that
are not directly relevant to the vision or other agency priorities, have not performed as well as others,
or are unsustainable given their high projected costs will be reformulated or terminated to allow for
greater focus on the vision’s high-priority programs, as discussed previously in the chapter.
THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006 299
Initiative Status Progress
Real Property Asset Management
NASA is an active participant on the Federal Real Property Council, which helps inform and develop
Government-wide best practices. The agency is currently developing a comprehensive asset management plan
to guide planning, acquisition, operation, and disposal of real property.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(In millions of dollars)
Estimate 2004
Actual 2005 2006
Spending
Discretionary Budget Authority:
Science, Aeronautics, and Exploration......................................................... 7,873 7,681 9,661
Science (non-add) .......................................................................................... 5,600 5,527 5,476
Aeronautics (non-add) .................................................................................. 1,057 906 852
Biological Sciences Research (non-add) ............................................... 986 1,004 —
Exploration Systems (non-add) ................................................................. — 25 3,165
Education (non-add) ...................................................................................... 230 217 167
Exploration Capabilities...................................................................................... 7,478 8,358 6,763
Space Operations (non-add) ...................................................................... 5,890 6,704 6,763
Exploration Systems (non-add) ................................................................. 1,588 1,654 —
Inspector General................................................................................................. 27 31 32
Total, Discretionary budget authority ................................................................. 15,378 16,070 16,456
Memorandum: Budget authority from enacted supplementals ............... — 126 —
Total, Discretionary outlays ................................................................................... 15,188 15,718 15,743
Total, Mandatory outlays ........................................................................................ 1 1 1
Total, Outlays.............................................................................................................. 15,189 15,719 15,744
