NASA Ordered To Build Deep-Space Habitat By 2018

I can’t wait to grow potatoes on Mars.

Over the last several months, NASA has increasingly emphasized development of a habitation module that could be tested in cislunar space in the 2020s. That module could then be used for human missions to Mars that NASA hopes to carry out some time in the 2030s.

Haha, they got $55 Million to develop this in 2 years. That's 1/3 the cost of 1 single F-35 strike fighter. I'm not saying that to criticize the cost of the F-35, I'm saying that to show how little is actually given to what is the most momentous endeavor of man kind (and life on this planet).

In 2 years they want to do this? We (the USA) don't even have a way to get people into space currently. It's a fuckin joke.

We spent $25 billion to put man in space 50 years ago. And we got results*. That was progress.

*Assuming you believe that all that was real and not the greatest hoax of all time in which everyone involved has managed to keep secret.

westrock2000 said:

Haha, they got $55 Million to develop this in 2 years. That's 1/3 the cost of 1 single F-35 strike fighter. I'm not saying that to criticize the cost of the F-35, I'm saying that to show how little is actually given to what is the most momentous endeavor of man kind (and life on this planet).

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To be fair, it said they need to spend at least $55 million, which in itself says volumes as well. So if they manage to make a space green house for $300, that's not enough, you will spend $54,999,700 more!

This 2016 funding was actually pretty good for NASA. They got almost all of what they wanted for multiple programs, and more than what they needed for some.

The final version of a fiscal year 2016 spending bill will provide NASA with nearly $19.3 billion, funding most agency programs at or above the administration’s original request.

The omnibus spending bill, released by House and Senate appropriators early Dec. 16 after extended negotiations, allocates $19.285 billion to NASA for fiscal year 2016. That total is $756 million above the administration’s requested budget and the total provided the agency in a House spending bill passed in August. It is nearly $1 billion above a Senate bill that appropriators approved in June but was never passed by the full Senate.

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NASA Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request and Appropriations Bills
Account FY16 Request House Bill Senate Bill Omnibus
SCIENCE $5,288.6 $5,237.5 $5,295.0 $5,589.4
– Earth Science $1,947.3 $1,682.9 $1,931.6 $1,921.0
– Planetary Science $1,361.2 $1,557.0 $1,321.0 $1,631.0
– Astrophysics $709.1 $735.6 $730.6 $730.6
– JWST $620.0 $620.0 $620.0 $620.0
– Heliophysics $651.0 $642.0 $649.8 $649.8
– Education $0.0 $0.0 $42.0 $37.0
SPACE TECHNOLOGY $724.8 $625.0 $600.0 $686.5
AERONAUTICS $571.4 $600.0 $524.7 $640.0
EXPLORATION $4,505.9 $4,759.3 $3,831.2 $4,030.0
– Exploration Systems $2,862.9 $3,409.3 $3,510.0 $3,680.0
– Commercial Spaceflight * $1,243.8 $1,000.0 – –
– Exploration R&D $399.2 $350.0 $321.2 $350.0
SPACE OPERATIONS $4,003.7 $3,957.3 $4,756.4 $5,029.2
– ISS $3,105.6 $3,075.6 $3,051.6 n/a
– Space and Flight Support $898.1 $881.7 $804.8 n/a
– Commercial Crew * – – $900.0 $1,243.8
EDUCATION $88.9 $119.0 $108.0 $115.0
SAFETY, SECURITY, AND
MISSION SERVICES $2,843.1 $2,768.6 $2,784.0 $2,768.6
CONSTRUCTION $465.3 $425.0 $352.8 $388.9
INSPECTOR GENERAL $37.4 $37.4 $37.4 $37.4
TOTAL $18,529.1 $18,529.1 $18,289.5 $19,285.0

Amounts in millions of dollars.

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Table formatting sucks: http://spacenews.com/nasa-receives-19-3-billion-in-final-2016-spending-bill/