Barack Obama would slash $226 million in the year 2013 from NASA's Mars exploration program

The fiscal 2013 budget, which is unlikely to face a vote in Congress while Obama seeks re-election, called for a $226 million reduction, or a near 39 percent cut in the US space agency's Mars exploration program from $587 million to $361 million.

This is just sad. It's a very sad day when the government of a country care so much more about pointless wars than science. I guess these days thinking science is important makes you a terrorist. I think a successful country needs less war and more space exploration. Research dollars are far better spent in space than in unstable middle eastern countries for oil. Higher social return and lots of positive benefits for the U.S. Instead we're increasing sanctions on Iran which will cause war AND higher oil prices.

According to Bill Nye, chief executive of the Planetary Society, an association of scientists skilled in the search for alien life, program cuts could have devastating consequences. "We are concerned that once planetary exploration programs are stopped, they just can't be restarted," Nye told AFP. NASA currently employs the world's top experts in landing robotic vehicles on Mars, he said, noting that the recent failure by Russia to get its Mars probe off to a successful launch provides evidence of the danger. "If all the (NASA) people expert in Entry, Descent, and Landing (EDL) on Mars have no missions and then retire, the program just cannot recover," Nye said.

Obama is destroying our mars exploration program. How are we ever going to explore Europa if tbtb think it's too much of a hassle to explore mars?

The overall proposal is to give NASA $17.7 billion, a decrease of 0.3 percent or $59 million less than 2012. "It is a real scientific tragedy and I personally believe it is a national embarrassment," G. Scott Hubbard, a Stanford University professor who served as the first NASA Mars program director, told AFP. "Here we had one of the most successful NASA programs of the last decade and it is being effectively turned off."

So essentially Obama is destroying our space program. Many scientists fear a massive NASA brain drain once this policy is instituted and it will have devastating effects on NASA. I guess tbtb care about war a lot more than science though.
www.physorg.com...

Oh, this is going to be good.............just going to get some popcorn!!

Can't wait for the usual suspects to turn up here................

Don't mention the "M" word!!

Well really the title should be "WILL slash 226 million dollars."

The Republicans have already beaten themselves in this election with the candidates they've chosen and their asinine rejection of Ron Paul. Get ready for four more years of Obama

Oh no this is terrible news, NASA needs to start asking the grays or the others for funding? Oh the horrors of Obama!

After all the b s about space AND NASA do you still beleive the numbers they print about their budget,of course they are still going to do it, we just wont hear about it,end of the shuttle program was last year,they have said they wont be returning for another 10 years BS BS BS why not, whats the issue.Making budget is BS when you can print cash! they are hidding the truth and bleeding us at the same time,the NWO has complete control of the west and knowledge of what is to come. DONT BE FOOLED

Well if it ticks off Bill Nye (the anti-flying-saucer science guy), then it's fine with me. If we don't have the guts to develop reactionless-drive ships, then we don't deserve to explore beyond Earth.

reply to post by targeting


No offense to anyone who supports NASA...
If you think its important then I support your point of view...
But I still will disagree with it...

Don't get me wrong... I'm all for orbital advances in our technology...

Satellites, etc...

We've got some pretty cool innovations from NASA technology...

GPS... Satellite TV... Satellite Internet... Imaging... Maps etc whatever...

But 17.7 billion for a years budget thats a lot of money!

We have problems here in the USA...
Our economy sucks... The deficit is horrendous...
People are struggling to feed themselves and find shelter...

I think NASA needs a long over due budget reduction...

Sure space exploration is important in the long run for humanity...

Cos lets face it... some day down the line if humans live long enough...
People will need a way off this rock... maybe we exploited all our resources... maybe the climate is hostile...
maybe the sun is about to explode... but that day is not today... nor is it anytime soon...

So until we can manage the major issues here on Earth...
I see going to Mars or the moon or exploring the planets as a 100% waste of time and money...

I was watching the NASA channel earlier tonight... and an astronaut on board the ISS was playing with a knitting needle and water... while it looked cool...

It was a total waste of resources... How much did we spend on the ISS? How much did it cost to put that man in space, so he could play with knitting needles?!?!
That is the real embarrassment!!!

In case you wanna see what I am talking about and our tax dollars at work... I took the liberty of searching and found the video I watched on TV... it is below




To me this is a move in the right direction by Obama. I am proud of him on this one.
I salute you Obama... your approval rating went up in my book! But don't stop there!

reply to post by EvolEric

I think NASA needs a long over due budget reduction...

NASA budget was already reduced over the years. In 1991 NASA got 1.05 % of federal budget, and since then it was slowly declining to 0.48 % of federal budget in 2012.

Anyway, if it would be up to me, NASA budget would be tripled, investment in high-tech science and technology is worth it even if we had to print the money. But assuming cuts are inevitable, then Mars exploration is indeed a prefered target to cut. We had many probes on that rock already, with another one on the way. Its a better alternative than cutting manned spaceflight or other science missions.

The current administration and NASA has me confused like no other.

Nasa's budget gas resulted in a massive scaling back of missions. Yet Nasa announces plans to build a space weigh station on near the moon.

If we dont have funds to send unmanned missions to mars, where does the money come from for sending manned construction missions to luner orbit?

Originally posted by Xcathdra
The current administration and NASA has me confused like no other.

If we dont have funds to send unmanned missions to mars, where does the money come from for sending manned construction missions to luner orbit?

NASA has to make cuts. And since manned spaceflight is higher on the NASA list of priorities than unmanned missions, unmanned missions are cut first. There will indeed be cuts across the board, but proportionately, unmanned will suffer the most.

When it comes to the NASA budget, everyone should read this post by Zorgon here at ATS. Point is, NASA should be put out of it's misery, it's nothing more than a bureaucratic mess and dooming space exploration for the United States as long as it continues to exist. They need to go back to the drawing board and create a new agency without all the strings and drama.

reply to post by targeting


@Obama is destroying our mars exploration program. How are we ever going to explore Europa if tbtb think it's too much of a hassle to explore mars?


I think he knows there already exist a unspoken EA*rth space program and may see it as a loophole for more hidden spending. just a thought

reply to post by EvolEric


17.7 billion dollars represents 2 weeks of the US military expenditures for overseas military operations. just saying

Relating the money spent by NASA and feeding the starving children in the world is totally unrelated.

$226 million? Is that all? What he needs to start doing is cut a trillion, but that is alright. let Ron Paul do that since we cannot rely on what Obama says. He won't be able to cut anyways in 2013, who said he was going to win a second term?

Originally posted by Xcathdra
The current administration and NASA has me confused like no other.

Nasa's budget gas resulted in a massive scaling back of missions. Yet Nasa announces plans to build a space weigh station on near the moon.

If we dont have funds to send unmanned missions to mars, where does the money come from for sending manned construction missions to luner orbit?

What you are referencing doesn't exist. A study is not a proposal and both together still is not a mission.

Space exploration is as important to me as the next person. But when it gets tight, Mars exploration just isn't a priority right now. Doesn't mean it won't be.

Everyone has known for years that space exploration will go private. Let the big companies with money handle it.

Here is an interesting article with details what exactly will be changed in NASA 2013 budget if this passes. Seems like the real culprit is not a decrease of NASA budget, but different allocation of money among NASA programs:

Provides $17.7 billion, a decrease of 0.3 percent, or $59 million, below the 2012 enacted level

planetary science will see a cut around the 21 percent mark – which includes NASA’s withdrawal from the joint-European mission called ExoMars

The figures show a $175 million cut for Orion in the FY13 proposal, when compared to the authorized funds for FY2012. SLS is cut by $203m, while Commercial Crew gains $423m.

Nasaspaceflight article

reply to post by Maslo


However you want to interpret the way NASA manages the money they use, less is not more no matter how you try to rationalize it. Things are cut, postponed, and scraped, that is not more.

A commentator on NPR said this Obama budget is mostly a statement about his priorities because he knows it will go nowhere. So what does this say about Obama's priorities? I think it says he doesn't care about planetary science, because that is the only part of NASA that really got the axe.

It wouldn't hurt my feelings AT ALL if Obama slashed 100% of NASA's budget for Mars exploration in favor of a "Restoring America" project. After all, there is no point in keeping your head in the clouds (much less, another planet) if you can't take care of problems at home first.

NASA is a luxury, not a necessity!