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| Astronomy
in the FY 2000 Budget Kevin B. Marvel, AAS |
HIGHLIGHTS
INTRODUCTION Astronomy plays a special role as one of the oldest of the sciences. Since the earliest times, humanity has followed the motions of the planets and stars and wondered about their nature. In modern times, increased knowledge of where we came from and where we are going has come, in large part, from the astronomical sciences. In the past century astronomers have described how the stars shine, where our solar system sits in our galaxy, the Milky Way, how our Universe began in an event dubbed "the Big Bang," and discovered the first planets outside of our own solar system. Astronomy continues to be a science of wonder where all citizens can participate through stargazing, reading the popular press, and participating in outreach programs sponsored by the federal government. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is responsible for approximately 75 percent of the astronomical research funding for individuals in the United States. Changes to NASA's Space Science budget have major consequences for most American astronomers. The National Science Foundation (NSF) also funds a significant amount of the astronomical research that takes place in the United States, including the U.S. National Observatories. These observatories play a critical role for researchers at small institutions, which may not have large research instruments available. The traditional split in funding has been that NASA funds space-based astronomy, while NSF funds ground-based astronomy. NASA and NSF have both supported balloon research, an example of one of the many gray areas blurring this separation. Although astronomers use both space-based and ground-based instruments to perform their research, two separate agencies have and will continue to fund the devices used to collect data. ASTRONOMY IN THE NASA BUDGET Dan Goldin, the NASA Administrator, presented the FY 2000 budget request on an overcast and blustery February day in Washington this year. Despite the clouds-and the poor overall budget news for NASA-Mr. Goldin drove home his vision for NASA and the Office of Space Science. "We are thinking 'out of the box.' Now, what does this budget mean for NASA? Overall, good news," he concluded. Mr. Goldin went on to cite numerous examples where, despite a declining budget, NASA's productivity has increased. Many hope the agency's "can-do" attitude will continue in the coming years. Looking only at the Office of Space Science (OSS) budget for FY 2000, Mr. Goldin's words could hit the mark. The Office's FY 2000 request is $2.2 billion, approximately 3.7 percent above the FY 1999 estimate. This trend (FY 1998 actual to FY 1999 estimate was also about 3.6 percent) shows an ongoing recognition that NASA must justify its diverse missions with sound scientific results. Manned presence in space is not enough (see Table II-12 for details of the NASA budget). The OSS mission is multifaceted. Through various programs the Office hopes to solve the mysteries of the Universe; explore the solar system; discover planets around other stars; search for life beyond Earth; chart the evolution of the Universe; and understand galaxies, stars, planets, and life. In pursuing this mission, the Office develops, uses, and transfers innovative space technologies that provide scientific knowledge and other returns to NASA and the nation. The Office has also begun to address the nation's science education needs by enhancing science, mathematics, and technology education as well as the scientific and technological literacy of all Americans. OSS plans a number of exciting new initiatives for FY 2000. Increased functionality for the Mars Surveyor program (FY 2000 request of $250.7 million) in the form of improved communications leads the list. Improved communications will provide a means for transferring more data-images, measurements, etc.-from Mars Surveyor craft at a greater rate. The Mars Surveyor program is a series of small missions designed to carry out a detailed exploration of Mars. Launch opportunities occur about every 26 months (due to the planets' orbits), and NASA plans launches at each opportunity. A long-term goal is to acquire and return a sample from Mars that would be initially analyzed on the International Space Station and potentially returned to Earth. The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF) moved into detailed design and development in FY 1998. Critical design review was completed in September, 1998. Development will continue throughout 1999 with the spacecraft bus structure being finished in May, 1999, and focal plane instruments completed by September, 1999. Final delivery will be in FY 2000 and integration of all components will take place late in FY 2000. This instrument is the fourth and last of the so-called "Great Observatory" missions. (The third observatory, the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility (AXAF), now known as Chandra, will be launched during FY 1999 if no further delays hinder the program.) SIRTF will unlock many mysteries currently hampered by problems related to observing from the ground at infrared wavelengths. The project's FY 2000 request is $125 million. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Development line item for FY 2000 is set at $140.4 million. The instrument has served astronomers remarkably well by unveiling new information about the Universe, and has also served the public well by providing stunning images that grace the nightly news and front pages of major newspapers nearly daily-accompanied by appropriate background information. The instrument itself is scheduled for maintenance and upgrades. The third HST servicing mission is scheduled for late in FY 2000 and will include a full range of astronaut activities. The astronauts will also install a new instrument, the Advanced Camera for Surveys, as well as new solar arrays and a new flight computer. An underrated portion of NASA's budget is the Supporting Research and Technology line item. This important budgetary item includes the Technology program ($642.6 million), the Space Science Research Program (SSRP; $472 million), and the Suborbital program ($37.5 million). SSRP provides a significant amount of funding to university researchers. Approximately 1,500 grants are awarded each year after a rigorous peer review process in which only 25 percent of proposals are accepted. The research supports various aspects of the NASA OSS mission, including theoretical studies, analysis of data from NASA instruments, basic research necessary to understand observed phenomena, and enhancing the value of current space missions through ground-based observations. ASTRONOMY IN THE NSF BUDGET The NSF Astronomy Division (AST) operates within the Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences. AST provides most of NSF's direct funding for individual investigators in astronomy. NSF also has a Major Research Equipment program, which astronomers have taken advantage of in the past to build instruments such as Gemini, LIGO, and the MMA. The division also funds the National Observatories within its Facilities budget. These include the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, American participation in the GEMINI telescopes, and the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center. (Please see Table II-7 for details of the NSF budget.) Included in the Facilities program are five university-based radio astronomy programs, the Owens Valley Millimeter Array, the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Array, the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, and the Coordinated Millimeter Very Long Baseline Interferometry Array (CMVA). These facilities, including the university programs, provide a vast amount of observing time for astronomers in the United States. Changes to the Facilities budget in the AST division could have severe repercussions for American astronomers. For FY 1998, AST received $41.4 million for Astronomy Research and Instrumentation (ARI) and $72.2 million for Facilities. For FY 1999 the division's request was $49.2 million for ARI and $77.1 million for Facilities. Under the current FY 1999 plan, these numbers are lower: $41.9 million for ARI and $76.9 million for Facilities. The FY 2000 request hopes to grow both of these areas by requesting $43.8 million and $78.4 million, respectively. These are rather modest increases of 4.6 percent and 2.0 percent. Considering inflation, the Facilities are operating with a flat budget, while at the same time trying to keep their instruments at the cutting edge of research. This is often a tough challenge. | |
