Final answer:
The claims developed in the third paragraph are 1) Project Constellation and ExoMars have been deferred due to a shortage of funds, and 2) the amount of money spent on NASA is much less than the amount of money spent on the Department of Defense.
Step-by-step explanation:
The author uses this paragraph to develop the claims that Project Constellation and ExoMars have been deferred due to a shortage of funds and that the amount of money spent on NASA is much less than the amount of money spent on the Department of Defense (DOD). The paragraph states that NASA's budget accounts for 0.5 percent of the total U.S. federal budget, while the DOD's budget is 40 times greater than NASA's budget. The mention of budget cuts also implies that the lack of funding is the reason for deferring the mentioned programs.