Departing NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has of-fered to help his successor shepherd the space ex-ploration program he crafted for the Bush adminis-tration through its first tottering steps. He was already fending off some wolves circling the program even before he announced his departure for an academic job. Release of the agency's Fiscal 2005 operating plan was delayed last week as agencies that weren't as successful as O'Keefe in winning funds tried to offload their shares of jointly funded projects on the flush NASA account. In disputes before the White House Office of Management and Budget, O'Keefe argued that letting outside agencies tap NASA's $16.2-billion appropriation would hobble the exploration effort just as it gets started.
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