NASA has put a moratorium on participation in conferences in an effort to comply with an authorization bill recently enacted by Congress.

Signed into law by President Bush on 15 October, the act limits conference spending to US$5 million in the 2009 fiscal year. That figure represents more than a two-thirds reduction from conference spending in 2008.

The moratorium, announced earlier this month, covers sponsorship of conferences, as well as travel and admission fees. It applies to NASA staff and some contractors, such as employees at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Scientists receiving NASA grants or sponsorship have not been affected so far.