On March 13, Prof. Steven Squyres ’82, astronomy, along with four other witnesses, appeared before the House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics in Washington D.C. to voice their concerns about President George W. Bush’s proposed NASA budget for the 2009 fiscal year. Many programs, including a Mars sample return mission with which Squyres would be involved, are in danger due to low funding.
The president’s budget for 2009 allocates $4.4 billion to NASA and its programs in Earth science, planetary science, heliophysics and astrophysics. NASA’s 2009 budget is $200 million less than 2008’s. Under the proposed budget, NASA will have to scramble to find foreign funding or will have to sacrifice some future programs in order to complete all planned missions.
“NASA has too much on its plate compared to the amount of money that has been appropriated for its budget. Congress needs to step up to the plate with funding,” said Prof. Jack Burns, astrophysics and astronomy, University of Colorado. Burns is also the Chairman of the American Astronomical Society’s Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy and was a witness at the hearing.
The budget could affect future plans for Squyres, a leading Mars researcher and principal investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover mission. The budget allocates only about $350 million to further exploration of Mars, a decrease from the previous budget of $625 million.
The decrease endangers the Mars Sample Return Mission that plans to collect rocks from the Martian surface. NASA is planning three missions to Mars in the future, one in 2013, another in 2016 and the Sample Return Mission. However, funds for the expensive and highly complex Sample Return Mission will run out after the 2013 and 2016 missions.
“Unless you increase the funding for the Mars Sample Return Mission, you have to cut either the mission planned for 2013 or the mission for 2016,” Squyres said.
However, the budget also includes funding for new missions that many scientists are excited about. It designates a considerable amount of money to future lunar missions that will have astronauts walk on the surface of the Moon; the last time astronauts walked on the moon was on the Apollo mission over 35 years ago.
“There is also a lot of good news in the budget too. I’m particularly excited about the Outer Planet Flagship, which will explore Jupiter and Saturn. These missions will also explore the moons of the two planets, possibly Jupiter’s moon Europa, which may have a subsurface liquid ocean,” Squyres said.
More money has also been given to research and analysis grants. These grants fund analysis of data, technology development and planning for future missions.
“The fact that the Research and Analysis budget rises is good for academic scientists. We expect to be able to continue the analysis of results returned from spacecraft in orbit and on planetary surfaces. This is wise given the funds that were expended to return the images, etc.,” Prof. Joseph Burns, astronomy, stated in an e-mail.
Hopes are high that the president and congress will revise the budget for 2009. Budgets typically go through a series of revisions and changes.
“Congress’ heart is in the right place. It knows that NASA generates jobs, stimulates the economy, creates technology spinoffs and instills excitement in classrooms and for the general public,” Jack Burns said. “There is virtually a zero-percent chance that the budget will be finalized before the election, so it should be released in January or February.”
The witnesses do not know what Congress will decide.
“I hope and pray that it will, but I try to make it a policy to never predict what politicians will do,” Joe Burns said.