President Barack Obama unveiled a proposed federal budget for 2014 today (April 10), which includes $17.7 billion in funding for NASA in the next fiscal year. The budget request also includes $105 million dedicated to support an audacious new mission to capture and asteroid and park it near the moon so that astronauts can explore it by 2025.

In addition to the asteroid capture mission, NASA's 2014 budget request also includes about $200 million in cuts to planetary science, which has upset some scientists and space exploration groups. It does, however, increase funding for Earth science missions and fully fund the agency's private space taxi program and new human spaceflight projects, such as the Space Launch System mega-rocket and Orion space capsule.

See the initial reactions to NASA's 2014 Budget Request below:

Charles Bolden, NASA Administrator

This budget focuses on an ambitious new mission to expand Americas capabilities in space, steady progress on new space and aeronautic technologies, continued success with commercial space partnerships, and far-reaching science programs to help us understand Earth and the universe in which we live. It keeps us competitive, opens the door to new destinations and vastly increases our knowledge. [NASA's Asteroid-Capture Mission in Photos]

(This is only part of Bolden's statement on the NASA budget. Read the full statement here.)

Bill Nye (the Science Guy), CEO, The Planetary Society

The Administration just released its proposed budget for 2014 and it contains some very bad news for NASA's planetary exploration program.

Our initial review shows a cut of over $200 million this year a cut that will strangle future missions and reverse a decade's worth of investment building the world's premier exploration program.

(The Planetary Society will hold a webcast at 6 p.m. PDT/9 p.m. EDT tonight to discuss NASA's 2014 budget proposal. Watch it Live Here.)

The rest is here:

NASA's 2014 Budget: Space Exploration Experts React