Despite the fact that 2012 just started, the Obama administration is already making final preparations to submit a federal budget for the 2013 fiscal year. With the federal budget, all federal government agencies, including NASA, will get an idea of what kind of money that they will be operating with for the next year. In regards to NASA, many analysts are expecting massive cuts, especially in areas of planetary science.
Why the reason for gloom? The journal Science's ScienceInsider sub publication reported two days ago that Obama's budget request will allocate $1.2 billion for NASA's planetary science program, compared with the $1.5 billion allotted for planetary missions this year. The final cut: about 20%, which is enough to possibly cause NASA to scuttle missions to Mars that are already on the drawing board.
So, what about other areas of concern for both NASA and space enthusiasts?
While the planetary science speculation is not good, some pundits are expecting manned spaceflight to fare better. After all, NASA announced plans for its Space Launch System (SLS), the successor to the space shuttle, last year and is targeting 2017 for the massive rocket's first flight. Also, the prospects from resurrected James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are looking up, too, due to the mere fact that the JWST was saved at the last second by Congress last year. Originally, the JWST was destined for de-funding over cost concerns.
While not NASA itself, many also expect the space agency to get more money for the express purpose of aiding private companies in their spaceflight ambitions.
Sp, what does this all mean? Right now, all of this is mere speculation (albeit by some people in the know), which means that nothing is written in stone. In fact, nothing will be written in stone until Congress approves the president's plans, which it has no obligation to do at all. In the end, only time will tell what happens for NASA in 2013.
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