NASA would get an additional $1 billion in funds to help cover the costs of returning the space shuttle to flight under a bill approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.
The $51.2 billion fiscal 2007 spending bill for space, science, law enforcement and other federal programs likely will be debated by the full Senate sometime this summer.
Space shuttle missions were suspended in February 2003, immediately after the shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the atmosphere.
For two years, NASA worked to fix problems related to insulating foam on fuel tanks that tore off during liftoff and damaged the shuttle’s protective covering.
In July 2005, the shuttle returned to space, but the fleet was grounded again for almost a year because of recurring insulation problems.
The Senate panel voted for the additional NASA funds as the shuttle Discovery was winding up a mission and is due to return to Earth on Monday.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said NASA has estimated costs of $2.3 billion since 2003 related to getting the shuttle aloft after the Columbia catastrophe.
She and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, plan to seek another $1 billion in emergency funds for NASA next year.
The bill approved by the Senate panel also added $40 million to help repair NASA facilities damaged by last summer’s Hurricane Katrina.
Besides the NASA emergency funding, the bill approved by the committee would provide $16.8 billion for NASA, $126 million more than last year.
The House has approved its version of the fiscal 2007 spending bill. The two chambers would have to resolve their differences after the full Senate acts.