NASA Gets $75 Million for Hurricane Matthew Repairs from Republican Stopgap Spending Bill

Republicans' stopgap spending bill set to fund the United States government through April next year reportedly includes almost $75 million dollars for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the damages of Hurricane Matthew that hit the country in October.

NASA's Kennedy Space Center located in Florida suffered from massive damages caused by the severe hurricane labeled category 3 out of 5. Hurricane Matthew's powerful winds blew away the roofs of facilities and even tearing into pieces a 1962 beach hut used as a residence by astronauts, Mirror Daily reported in October. According to the space agency, they also experienced power outage and water supply insufficiency.

Fortunately, indoor exhibits, the Vehicle Assembly Building along with nearby structures, and the launch complex for the Apollo program were unscathed by the hellish storm. Back in October, NASA officials did not give specific details as to the actual costs of the repairs, center leaders, however, hinted in the days after the storm that it was to the tune of a millions dollars.

According to SpaceNews, the continuing resolution, which was scheduled to be deliberated by the Congress on December 8 and by the Senate on December 9, also includes a special provision to allow the space agency a bit of spending flexibility, enabling it to channel funds into key exploration system programs.

The stopgap funding bill, which would last until 28 April, also gives consent for additional funding to keep a handful of major multiyear space programmes on track. These include the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS), with a target launch of early 2017. The program involves a series of investigations designed to closely observe Earth's weather and climate, as well as NASA efforts to explore deep space and develop a replacement for the retired space shuttle, Nature writes.