The Nation : House Authorizes Space Station Funds

The House gave overwhelming approval to an $11.5-billion NASA authorization bill that includes nearly $1 billion for the start on a space station. But some senators have expressed an inclination to vote for no more than $10.2 billion for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, an amount that could kill the space station project. The House bill, passed on a 360-26 vote, puts a cap of $24.2 billion on the total cost of the space station, which is planned to be in orbit around Earth and occupied by astronauts at the end of 1996. The bill also authorizes overall space agency spending of $41 billion for three years, but a separate appropriations bill is still needed to finance those goals.