CONGRESSIONAL PANEL WANTS LAWMAKERS TO APPROVE NEW SPACE POLICY
A Democratic-led House subcommittee voted unanimously to give President Obama the entire $4.2 billion that he requested for manned space exploration next year but blocked any expenditures before Congress itself approves a new roadmap for the NASA's future  expected later this year.
 The outcome represented a face-saving compromise by Democrats on the panel to provide Obama an early symbolic victory by awarding him money requested for NASA's marquee exploration programs as it simultaneously tied his hands until Congress takes further action.
 The 14-member panel of nine Democrats and five Republicans -- a fraction of the 435-member House -- agreed to provide NASA $19 billion requested by Obama in February. The panel  mindful of mounting concern over federal spending  reduced aspects of Obama's spending plan for NASA by cutting spending on space operations from a request of $4.9 billion to $4.5 billion and cutting aspects of exploration from $4.3 billion to $3.6 billion.
 The panel's action was the first time that lawmakers have voted on spending for NASA for the coming year since Obama proposed a major overhaul that included canceling the $108 billion program to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. Obama wants Congress to authorize NASA to spend $6 billion over the next five years to foster a commercial spacecraft industry as well as pouring additional billions into new technologies useful for projected deep space exploration.
A Democratic-led House subcommittee voted unanimously to give [TGT] the entire $4.2 billion that [TGT] requested for manned space exploration next year but blocked any expenditures before Congress itself approves a new roadmap for the NASA's future  expected later this year.
 The outcome represented a face-saving compromise by Democrats on the panel to provide [TGT] an early symbolic victory by awarding [TGT] money requested for NASA's marquee exploration programs as it simultaneously tied [TGT] hands until Congress takes further action.
 The 14-member panel of nine Democrats and five Republicans -- a fraction of the 435-member House -- agreed to provide NASA $19 billion requested by [TGT] in February. The panel  mindful of mounting concern over federal spending  reduced aspects of [TGT]'s spending plan for NASA by cutting spending on space operations from a request of $4.9 billion to $4.5 billion and cutting aspects of exploration from $4.3 billion to $3.6 billion.
 The panel's action was the first time that lawmakers have voted on spending for NASA for the coming year since [TGT] proposed a major overhaul that included canceling the $108 billion program to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. [TGT] wants Congress to authorize NASA to spend $6 billion over the next five years to foster a commercial spacecraft industry as well as pouring additional billions into new technologies useful for projected deep space exploration.