. "3 Support for Fundamental Research at NASA." Capabilities for the Future: An Assessment of NASA Laboratories for Basic Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2010.
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Capabilities for the Future: An Assessment of NASA Laboratories for Basic Research
TABLE 3.1 NASA Research and Development (R&D) Funding for FY 2005 Through FY 2009
Fiscal Year
NASA Total Budget ($ million)
R&D Funding ($ million)
R&D Share of Total NASA Budget (%)
Basic
Applied
Development
Total R&D
2005
16,070
2,386
1,957
3,494
7,837
48.8
2006
16,270
2,299
1,680
5,141
9,120
56.1
2007
16,100
1,786
947
5,576
8,309
51.6
2008
17,372
2,182
561
6,090
8,833
50.9
2009
17,782
1,844
1,044
6,244
9,132
51.4
NOTE: R&D budgets for 2005-2008 are actuals; 2009 is an estimate.
SOURCE: Richard Keegan, Office of Programs and Institutional Integration, NASA Headquarters, presentation to the committee on September 8, 2009.
TABLE 3.2 NASA Funding for Research and Development (R&D) Equipment and Facilities, FY 2005 Through FY 2009
Fiscal Year
Total NASA Budget ($ million)
Cos of Expenditures on R&D Facilities and Equipment ($ million)
Share of Total Budget (%)
2005
16,070
2,360
14.7
2006
16,270
2,197
13.5
2007
16,100
1,643
10.2
2008
17,372
2,349
13.5
2009
17,782
2,194
12.3
SOURCE: Richard Keegan, Office of Programs and Institutional Integration, NASA Headquarters, presentation to the committee on September 8, 2009.
total cost of any program or project. The move was driven by years of complaint from academic and industry researchers that NASA researchers held an unfair advantage in competitive bids for research opportunities, as the salaries of civil-servant scientists were not included and only a small overhead charge on postdoctoral researchers and secretaries was included. As a result of the FCA implementation, any project, whether research-oriented or mission-applicable, would have three cost categories applied, as appropriate. Direct costs are costs that are obviously and physically related to a project at the time that they are incurred, such as direct civil service salaries/benefits/travel and purchased goods and services. Service costs that cannot be specifically and immediately identified but can subsequently be traced or linked are assigned to a pool charge and applied to a project based on usage or consumption. Support services used by research laboratories, such as for technicians, contracted equipment maintenance and repair, and laboratory modifications, would fall into this category. The third category of applied cost is center management and operations (CM&O). CM&O costs are those that cannot be related or traced to a specific project but that benefit all activities. In 2007 NASA reassessed the allocation of such costs at the Headquarters level using a standard rate applied to all projects. Fundamental research projects not immediately related to and supported by a mission project would need to be funded under the CM&O category. Center directors received a CM&O budget to operate their centers to include all administrative support services plus any fundamental research not supported by mission projects. Fundamental research laboratories came into competition for limited dollars with fire protection, public affairs, nonprogram
