If you compare NASA's annual budget to explore the heavens, that one year budget would fund NOAA's budget to explore the oceans for 1,600 years.

Our budget on an annual basis this past year is $660,000. We currently have expended $400,000 over that budget.

The annual trend in January has been to fall and this year has been better, so it's a healthier start.

I don't think NASA should be immune to the budget knife,

We don't require our astronomers to explore the heavens with 19th century telescopes, and we don't require our geologists to study the Earth with a tape measure. If we are serious about realizing the promise of stem cell research, our biomedical researchers need access to the best stem cell lines available.

When we examined budget issues last year, we realized if we kept going the way we were going, we would have to increase taxes 28 percent over four years and we had to look at ways to compromise.