NASA's Budget

Reports indicate that NASA will not get the $1 billion increase in next year's budget that some expected when President Obama submits his proposed federal budget to Congress next week. Likely, that would mean cancellation of the Ares rocket program, as indications also are that the Obama budget will direct large sums to helping private industry develop launchers that could carry astronauts into low Earth orbit.

Likely, too, a quick return to the Moon will be scrapped in favor of other sorts of deep space manned missions, such as a flight to a Near Earth asteroid. Such flights would presumably be carried out using the Orion capsule launched by a private launcher-- SpaceX's Falcon 9, for example.

Of course, Congress will have its say on NASA's future, and might restore the billion dollar increase. After the past year or so, this U. S. Government cannot seriously argue a billion dollar outlay would bust its fiscal position. The Obama budget for NASA, and the space policy that budget begins to drive, will likely be debated through the summer.