Cuts to NASA’s budget could derail America’s Mars ambitions

In his recent Joint Address to Congress, President Trump reiterated his commitment to space exploration, stating, “We are going to conquer the vast frontiers of science, and we are going to lead humanity into space and plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond.”

This statement is consistent with the continuous and unbroken presidential support for Mars exploration since the presidency of George W. Bush. Even in the current polarized state of politics in our country, space exploration and science missions have consistently maintained strong bipartisan support — one of the few government policies or programs that has such broad backing.

However, if recent reports are true, the president’s upcoming 2026 federal budget proposal will make deep cuts to NASA's budget, including a potential 25 percent cut to its overall budget and a 50 percent cut to its science budget.

Cuts of this magnitude would not only devastate our nation's space program but also hinder any prospects of sending humans into deep space, including to the Moon and Mars, anytime soon.

Former NASA chief scientist Dr. Jim Green, the advisory board chair for our company, Explore Mars, Inc., said this cut would be a “devastating misstep for the country."

"NASA science drives innovation, inspires future generations, and strengthens national security,” he added.

Green noted that by gutting these programs, we’d be “ceding leadership in space to other nations and stifling scientific advancements that fuel economic growth. Investing in NASA science is investing in the future of a strong America. We should never give up its soft power capability, ever!”

This move would be the antithesis of government efficiency. NASA’s science missions have been among the most cost-effective and successful NASA programs since the end of the Apollo Program.

Indeed, virtually everything that NASA has discovered about Mars and the rest of the universe (except the Moon and low Earth orbit) has been a result of science missions and programs. These programs include the Hubble Space Telescope, the James Webb Space Telescope, the Voyager probes, all our orbiters and rovers at Mars and dozens of other missions.

Continued robotic missions are essential to enable human missions to Mars. This includes understanding resources on the surface of Mars, improving our communication system with Mars (the Deep Space Network) and maintaining our current fleet of orbiters and rovers.

Efficiencies undoubtedly can be found at NASA (and every other federal agency). For example, better integration among NASA mission directorates (human exploration, operations, science, etc.) as well as centers is critical. The days when mission architecture, science, human health, and technology development are pursued in isolation at NASA must come to an end.

NASA’s recently established Moon to Mars Program Office should be given greater authority to integrate NASA mission directorates, NASA centers and partners to create focus and efficiency, streamlining internal bureaucracy within NASA to achieve our Moon and Mars goals as quickly and cost-effectively as possible.

The NASA budget represents less than half of one percent (a mere 0.3 percent) of the overall federal budget and NASA’s Science Mission Directorate accounts for less than one-third of that amount. At such a small portion of the federal budget, such major and arbitrary cuts to NASA’s budget would do very little to save money, but they will undercut and decimate one of the most cost-effective programs within the federal government.

Chris Carberry is the CEO of Explore Mars, Inc. and the author of “The Music of Space” and “Alcohol in Space.” Rick Zucker is the vice president, policy for Explore Mars, Inc.

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