NASA Budget Rollout Plans Taking Shape

By Amy Klamper

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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden is among the senior administration officials evaluating a possible change in direction for the U.S. human spaceflight program. Credit: NASA photo Enlarge Image

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will unveil the U.S.space agency’s spending priorities for 2011 during a Feb. 1 press conference at NASA headquarters here, according to administration officials.

President Barack Obama’s 2011 budget request is expected to realign NASA’s human spaceflight activities and investments to foster development of commercial systems capable of ferrying astronauts to the international space station.

Bolden is expected to discuss long-awaited details of the president’s funding proposal in the morning, followed by a press conference hosted by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to rollout Obama’s research and development priorities — including those that affect NASA goals and funding — for the coming budget year, these sources said. The OSTP press conference is slated for 12:30 p.m. at the American Association for the Advancement of Science here.

In addition to the Monday rollout, Bolden is tentatively slated to host a second news conference Feb. 2 at the National Press Club here, administration officials said.