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Space scientists in the US are gearing up to defend NASA’s budget from cuts
that could devastate their pet projects. This week, the House of Representatives
will discuss plans to cut NASA’s budget for 2000 by $1 billion, or more
than 7 per cent. The International Space Station and the fleet of space shuttles
will be protected from the proposed cuts, which would mean that smaller-scale
science missions would have to bear the brunt. These might even include
high-profile missions to Mars.