That year his laboratory ran on $130,000, about half from the science foundation.
The science foundation did not know what caused the leaks and was investigating them, he said.
And lawmakers of both parties have vowed to provide the science foundation with more money than the president sought.
Some observatories were planned in the early 2000's when the science foundation's budget was expected to double to nearly $10 billion.
The Navy owns and operates aircraft for the science foundation.
But the science foundation itself is, in a sense, agnostic about whether the mine floods or not.
He said today that he applauded the science foundation's move.
They urged the science foundation to hold an open competition to develop the best strategy for a giant telescope.
When we get back to Terra, this is going to rock the whole of biological science to its very foundation.
The science foundation said the plume had reached 22,000 feet, but maintained that this was far too low to cause climatic change.
