In a move that is not all that surprising, especially in the wake of leaked insider reports, President Obama has recommended a cut for NASA's 2013 budget, reducing the space agency's allotment of funding from $17.8 to $17.7 billion. Hardest hit: as predicted, the planetary science area, which will see its budget shrink from $1.5 to $1.2 billion for the 2013 fiscal year.
However, as bad as the news is for NASA, especially in the area of planetary science, things could have been worse as, as reported by space.com, the space agency was asked to draw up plans for budget cuts across the board as deep as 15%.
Obviously, in a way, NASA escaped lightly when considering what could have happened.
As for what will come as a result of these cuts, only time will tell, especially considering the fact that the president's budget proposal is only a non-binding recommendation. When it comes to the final say in dolling out the dough, the House of Representatives has that power and is not bound to follow President Obama's suggestions.
Another thing to consider: 2012 is an election year, which means that any politician wanting to get re-elected will do the best to portray himself/herself as a budget hawk in an effort to get votes from a public that is demanding greater government discipline when it comes to spending Americans' tax dollars.
As for the official NASA announcement, expect it to come at 2pm EST today. Want to watch it take place? Just tune intoNASA TV.
As for what this Examiner expects in the long run, expect NASA's final 2013 budget by way of the final House appropriations bill to be less than the $17.7 billion the president has asked for.
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