NASA Appropriations and Authorizations:
A Fact Sheet
name redacted
Specialist in Science and Technology Policy
July 31, 2017
Congressional Research Service
7-....
www.crs.gov
R43419
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ongressional deliberations about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA) often focus on the availability of funding. This fact sheet provides data on past,
C current, and proposed NASA appropriations. No bills have yet been introduced in the
115th Congress proposing future-year authorizations of NASA appropriations.
Additional information on appropriations legislation affecting NASA is provided in CRS Report
R44877, Overview of FY2018 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related
Agencies (CJS) and similar reports for prior years.1 NASA issues of congressional interest are
discussed further in CRS Report R43144, NASA: Issues for Authorization, Appropriations, and
Oversight in the 114th Congress.
Table 1 shows appropriations for NASA from FY2012 through FY2017. The data for FY2012
through FY2016 include supplemental appropriations, rescissions, transfers, reprogramming, and,
in the case of FY2013, sequestration. They are taken from NASA’s congressional budget
justifications for FY2014 through FY2018.2 Congressional budget justifications are available on
the NASA budget website (http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/) for the current year and for past
years back to FY2002. The table data for FY2017 are as enacted by the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2017 (P.L. 115-31). For amounts not specified in that act, see pp. H3374-
H3375 of the explanatory statement, published in the Congressional Record on May 3, 2017.
Table 2 shows enacted appropriations for FY2017 (as above); the Administration’s request for
FY2018; the House Committee on Appropriations recommendations for FY2018, as contained in
H.R. 3267 as reported and H.Rept. 115-231; and the Senate Committee on Appropriations
recommendations for FY2018, as contained in S. 1662 as reported and S.Rept. 115-139.
Figure 1 shows NASA’s total annual budget authority from the agency’s establishment in
FY1958 to FY2017, in both current dollars and inflation-adjusted FY2017 dollars.
1 See, for example, CRS Report R44409, Overview of FY2017 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science, and
Related Agencies (CJS); CRS Report R43918, Overview of FY2016 Appropriations for Commerce, Justice, Science,
and Related Agencies (CJS); CRS Report R43509, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2015
Appropriations, CRS Report R43080, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2014 Appropriations;
CRS Report R42440, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2013 Appropriations; and CRS Report
R41721, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies: FY2012 Appropriations.
2 FY2016 Education amounts are not shown in the FY2018 congressional budget justification and are instead taken
from the explanatory statement for the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113), Congressional Record,
December 17, 2015, pp. H9741-H9743.
Congressional Research Service
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Table 1. NASA Appropriations, FY2012-FY2017
(budget authority in $ millions)
FY2012
FY2013
FY2014
FY2015
FY2016
FY2017
Science
$5,074
$4,782
$5,148
$5,243
$5,584
$5,765
Earth Science
1,761
1,659
1,825
1,784
1,927
1,921
Planetary Science
1,501
1,275
1,346
1,447
1,628
1,846
Astrophysics
648
617
678
731
762
750
James Webb Space Telescope
519
628
658
645
620
569
Heliophysics
645
603
641
636
647
679
Aeronautics
569
530
566
642
634
660
Space Technology
574
615
576
600
686
687
Exploration
3,707
3,706
4,113
3,543
3,996
4,324
Exploration Systems Development
3,002
2,884
3,115
3,212
3,641
3,929
- Orion MPCV
1,200
1,114
1,197
1,190
1,270
1,350
- Space Launch System
1,497
1,415
1,600
1,679
1,972
2,150
- Exploration Ground Systems
305
355
318
343
399
429
Commercial Spaceflight
406
525
696
—a
—a
—a
Exploration R&D
300
297
302
331
355
395
Space Operations
4,184
3,725
3,774
4,626
5,032
4,951
Space Shuttle
596
39
0
8
5
0
International Space Station
2,790
2,776
2,964
1,525
1,436
n/s
Space Transportation
—b
—b
—b
2,254
2,668
n/sc
Space and Flight Support
798
910
810
839
923
n/s
Education
136
116
117
119
115
100
Space Grant
39
37
40
40
40
40
EPSCoR
17
17
18
18
18
18
MUREP
30
28
30
32
32
32
Other
50
34
29
29
25
10
Safety, Security, and Mission Services
2,994
2,711
2,793
2,755
2,772
2,769
Construction and EC&R
495
661d
522
446
427
470e
Inspector General
38
35
38
37
37
38
Total
17,770f
16,879d
17,647
18,010
19,285
19,762e
Sources: FY2012-FY2016 from NASA FY2014-FY2018 congressional budget justifications. FY2017 from P.L. 115-31
and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, May 3, 2017, pp. H3374-H3375. See text for details.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. MPCV = Multipurpose Crew Vehicle. R&D = Research and
Development. EPSCoR = Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority University
Research and Education Program. EC&R = Environmental Compliance and Remediation. n/s = not specified.
a. Included in Space Transportation under Space Operations.
b. Commercial Crew funded under Exploration. Remainder of Space Transportation included in International
Space Station.
c. Includes up to $1,185 mil ion for Commercial Crew.
d. Includes $14 mil ion (after sequestration) of supplemental funding from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act,
2013 (P.L. 113-2) that is not shown in the NASA FY2015 congressional budget justification.
e. Includes $109 mil ion in emergency funding (from Sec. 540 of P.L. 115-31) for repairs at NASA facilities
damaged by natural disasters.
f.
Includes rescission of $1 mil ion from prior-year accounts not shown in the table.
Congressional Research Service
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Table 2. NASA Appropriations, FY2017-FY2018
(budget authority in $ millions)
FY2018
FY2017 Total
H. Cte.
S. Cte. Enacted
Science
$5,765
$5,712
$5,859
$5,572
Earth Science
1,921
1,754
1,704
1,921
Planetary Science
1,846
1,930
2,121
1,612
Astrophysics
750
817
822
817
James Webb Space Telescope
569
534
534
534
Heliophysics
679
678
678
689
Aeronautics
660
624
660
650
Space Technology
687
679
687
700
Exploration
4,324
3,934
4,550
4,395
Exploration Systems Development
3,929
3,584
4,100
4,045
- Orion MPCV
1,350
1,186
1,350
1,350
- Space Launch System
2,150
1,938
2,150
2,150
- Exploration Ground Systems
429
460
600
545
Exploration R&D
395
350
450
350
Space Operations
4,951
4,741
4,677
4,752
International Space Station
n/s
1,491
n/s
n/s
Space Transportation
n/sa
2,415
n/s
2,415
Space and Flight Support
n/s
835
n/s
n/s
Education
100
37
90
100
Space Grant
40
n/s
40
40
EPSCoR
18
n/s
18
18
MUREP
32
n/s
32
32
Other
10
n/s
0
10
Safety, Security, and Mission Services
2,769
2,830
2,826
2,827
Construction and EC&R
470b
496
486
496
Inspector General
38
39
38
38
Total
19,762b
19,092
19,872
19,529
Sources: FY2017 from P.L. 115-31 and explanatory statement, Congressional Record, May 3, 2017, pp. H3374-
H3375. FY2018 request from FY2018 NASA congressional budget justification. FY2018 House committee from
H.R. 3267 as reported and H.Rept. 115-231. FY2018 Senate committee from S. 1662 as reported and S.Rept.
115-139. See text for details.
Notes: Some totals may not add because of rounding. MPCV = Multipurpose Crew Vehicle. R&D = Research
and Development. EPSCoR = Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. MUREP = Minority
University Research and Education Program. EC&R = Environmental Compliance and Remediation. n/s = not
specified.
a. Includes up to $1,185 mil ion for Commercial Crew.
b. Includes $109 mil ion in emergency funding (from Sec. 540 of P.L. 115-31) for repairs at NASA facilities
damaged by natural disasters.
Congressional Research Service
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NASA Appropriations and Authorizations: A Fact Sheet
Figure 1. NASA Funding, FY1958-FY2017
Source: FY1958-FY2008 from National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Aeronautics and Space Report of
the President: Fiscal Year 2008 Activities, http://history.nasa.gov/presrep2008.pdf, Table D-1A. FY2009-FY2011 from
NASA congressional budget justifications, FY2011-FY2013. FY2012-FY2017 as in Table 1. Current dol ars
deflated to FY2017 dol ars using GDP (chained) price index from President’s budget for FY2018, Historical Table
10.1, https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/hist10z1.xls.
Note: Transition quarter between FY1976 and FY1977 not shown.
Author Contact Information
(name redacted)
Specialist in Science and Technology Policy
/redacted/@crs.loc.gov , 7-....
Congressional Research Service
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