	Introduction

Spaceflight fascinates and inspires many Americans, but in a time of constrained federal budgets, it must compete with a multitude of other national priorities. As the 114 th Congress conducts oversight and considers authorization and appropriations legislation for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an overarching question will be how NASA should move forward within budget constraints. How will the needs of the human spaceflight program affect resources for NASA's science missions, aeronautics research, and education programs? Its FY2015 budget is $18.010 billion. In the past decade, Congress has enacted three NASA authorization acts: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Acts of 2005 ( P.L. 111-267 ). The 2010 act set a new direction for NASA's human spaceflight programs. First, for access to low Earth orbit, including the International Space Station (ISS), it confirmed NASA's plans to develop a commercial space transportation capability for both cargo and astronauts. At present, NASA relies on Russian Soyuz spacecraft for astronaut access to the ISS, and NASA's human spaceflight activities are focused on ISS operations and research, the development of a U.S. commercial capability to launch crews into Earth orbit, and the development of future spacecraft for human exploration beyond Earth orbit. ISS Service Life Extension

To increase the return on the resources invested in ISS construction, the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 extended U.S. operation and utilization of the ISS by five years, to at least FY2020. Issues for Congress include the schedule for Orion and SLS development and the likely schedule of flights once operational, the payload capability of the SLS, the potential use of Orion and the SLS for crew access to the ISS if commercial crew transportation services fail to materialize, and the destination for human exploration using Orion and the SLS once they are available. An uncrewed test flight of Orion without the SLS (on a commercial Delta IV rocket) was conducted in December 2014. Orion/SLS as Backup Option for ISS Access

Although the Orion and the SLS are primarily intended for exploration beyond Earth orbit, the 2010 NASA authorization act directs that they should be capable of serving as a backup system for delivering crew and cargo to the ISS in the event that commercial and partner-supplied spacecraft are not available. NASA states that it plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s. The ARM has met with opposition in Congress. The Space Operations account funds operational programs: the International Space Station, including the cost of Soyuz flights to carry U.S. astronauts to and from the ISS and commercial cargo flights for ISS resupply; the Space and Flight Support program, which supports activities such as launch services and space-ground communications; and (before FY2014) the space shuttle, including program closeout costs. Because much of the program supports research relating to climate change, however, some in Congress object to proposals to increase support for Earth Science, especially when other NASA activities may face decreases. In recent years, NASA has proposed near-term reductions in funding for Mars Exploration. Near-Earth Objects

Another Planetary Science activity, research on near-Earth objects (NEOs), received increased congressional and public attention following the explosion of a small asteroid over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in February 2013. Education

In addition to NASA's Office of Education, the mission directorates historically conducted substantial education activities. Reorganization Proposals

In the FY2014 budget, the Administration proposed a government-wide reorganization of activities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education.
Spaceflight fascinates and inspires many Americans, but in a time of constrained federal budgets, it must compete with a multitude of other national priorities. As the 114th Congress conducts oversight and considers authorization and appropriations legislation for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), an overarching question will be how NASA should move forward within budget constraints.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-267) set a new direction for NASA's human spaceflight programs. For access to low Earth orbit, including the International Space Station (ISS), it confirmed NASA's plans to develop a commercial space transportation capability for both cargo and astronauts. The first commercial cargo flight for ISS resupply was conducted in May 2012. Pending the planned availability of commercial crew transportation in 2017, NASA is paying Russia to carry U.S. astronauts to and from the ISS on Soyuz spacecraft. Issues for Congress include the cost, schedule, and safety of future commercial crew services, as well as the need for alternatives if commercial providers do not succeed.
For human exploration beyond Earth orbit, the 2010 NASA authorization act mandated development of the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to launch Orion into space. A test flight of Orion, on an existing rocket and without a crew, took place in December 2014. The first test flight of Orion on the SLS, again without a crew, is planned for FY2018. The first test flight with a crew is planned for FY2021-FY2022. Issues include NASA's ability to meet that schedule, the feasibility of accelerating the schedule, the payload mass capability of the SLS in the near and long term, and how Orion and the SLS should be used when operational. NASA plans to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s, but some in Congress would prefer to focus on returning humans to the Moon. Orion and the SLS could also be used as a backup option for access to the ISS, but that option raises additional questions about cost and schedule.
U.S. use of the ISS is currently authorized through FY2020. NASA has announced that it plans to extend ISS operations through at least 2024. In addition to crew access concerns and issues related to service life extension, Congress is likely to examine the utilization of the ISS for research, both through traditional NASA mechanisms and via the independently managed ISS national laboratory process.
Many in Congress are concerned that the needs of the human spaceflight program may reduce the resources available for NASA's other activities, including science, aeronautics research, and education. Funding for Earth science satellites is particularly contentious, because of their use for climate change research. Proposed cuts in funding for planetary science have encountered opposition in both Congress and the scientific community. The explosion of a small asteroid over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013 may have increased congressional interest in the science and potential threat of near-Earth asteroids and comets. The Administration's proposals to reorganize federal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs would affect numerous NASA education activities, especially those outside the Office of Education.
NASA's budget for FY2015 is $18.010 billion, an increase from $17.647 billion in FY2014. The 113th Congress considered NASA reauthorization legislation, but none was enacted.