According to Nelson, among the major changes in the Senate legislation:
• The bill basically extends shuttle for another year and keeps much of the Kennedy and Johnson Space Center shuttle workforces in place.
• It moves the project to design a heavy-lift vehicle (needed to get significant mass beyond low-Earth orbit) ahead, with an eye toward manned flights much earlier than 2025, as proposed by the President.
• It provides the money for operating the International Space Station through 2020.
• It provides almost as much for commercial space ventures as the President's proposal: an average of $1 billion a year over the next six years versus the President's $1.2 billion a year over five years.