US Congress okays NASA budget, extends shuttle flights

WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives has approved a budget for NASA that would provide money to allow the space agency to make an additional space shuttle flight before the programme is shut down.

The 304-118 vote late Wednesday provides NASA with $19 billion for 2011 and endorses much of President Barack Obama’s plans to remake the agency.

The budget had already been approved by the Senate and now goes to Obama’s desk for signature. The vote came just before Congress heads to recess ahead of November elections and before the start of the 2011 fiscal year.

The shuttle retirement has long been planned but has come under increased scrutiny after Obama cancelled former president George W. Bush’s plans to return to the moon in a next-generation spacecraft.

That plan was deemed impossibly over budget and behind schedule. Obama has instead chosen to promote commercial spaceflight to nearby destinations and to focus NASA on long-term goals, such as reaching Mars.

The new budget would pour money into the commercial programme, but also require NASA to develop its own heavy-lift vehicle to carry astronauts outside of low-Earth orbit by 2016.

NASA had been asking for an additional shuttle flight to be added to the manifest after final flights for shuttles Discovery and Endeavour set for November and February.

The space agency has another fuel tank that is on standby in case a rescue flight is needed during either of the two planned flights, but shuttle officials have argued that if it is not needed in that capacity it could then be used to conduct an extra flight.