Obama's 2010 budget - NASA and NSF funding increased!

President Barack Obama released his 2010 budget outline. The whole document is 140 pages long. Let's digitally flip to close to the end.... ah here we are! NASA's budget. And look! Budget increases!

From the document:

"Funding Highlights:

• Provides $18.7 billion for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Combined with

the $1 billion provided to the agency in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,

this represents a total increase of more than $2.4 billion over the 2008 level.

• Funds a program of space-based research that supports the Administration’s commitment to

deploy a global climate change research and monitoring system.

• Funds a robust program of space exploration involving humans and robots. The National

Aeronautics and Space Administration will return humans to the Moon while also supporting a

vigorous program of robotic exploration of the solar system and universe.

• Funds the safe flight of the Space Shuttle through the vehicle’s retirement at the end of 2010.

An additional flight will be conducted if it can be completed safely before the end of 2010.

• Funds the development of new space flight systems for carrying American crews and supplies

to space.

• Funds continued use of the International Space Station to support the agency and other Federal,

commercial, and academic research and technology testing needs.

• Funds aeronautics research to address aviation safety, air traffic control, noise and emissions

reduction, and fuel efficiency."

The NSF is also getting budget increases:

"Funding Highlights:

•Provides $7 billion for the National Science Foundation, a 16-percent increase over the 2008

level, as part of the President’s Plan for Science and Innovation.

•Increases support for graduate research fellowships and for early-career researchers.

•Increases support for the education of technicians in the high-technology fields that drive the

Nation’s economy.

•Encourages more novel high-risk, high-reward research proposals.

•Increases support for critical research priorities in global climate change."

It looks like congress is taking science a little more seriously than George Bush did. Let's just hope they spend this money more wisely, otherwise it is just wasted tax-payer dollars.