Funding Mars Missions Has Changed

In an article posted yesterday by Scientific American, Robert Zubrin discusses the change in the allocation of funding by NASA on Mars missions. In 1993, NASA made a big mistake. They spent billions of dollars to fund the Mars Observer Mission. This probe took a decade to develop and was subsequently lost just before it was scheduled to go into orbit around the planet. However, since then NASA has learned its lesson. NASA administrator Daniel Goldin has shifted funding to smaller expeditions. At every launch opportunity, NASA has been sending one or two proves to Mars. These opportunities only come over 2 years, when Earth and Mars are aligned properly. This new strategy spreads the risk and ensures that the experience and scientific data acquired during one mission can be used by the next. It has also been very successful, sending three spacecraft into orbit about Mars and putting three rovers on the surface. The Phoenix Mars Lander is expected to reach the Red Planet next May and NASA is planning on launching the Mars Science Lab in two years.

However, there is also a problem with this new strategy. Subsequent missions are in trouble and at least one future Mars probe has been scrapped to free up funding for a more expensive mission. There are trade-offs when deciding where to focus the money and NASA is currently trying to find the best mix so that they may advance our knowledge of Mars. The most important conversation is one pertaining to the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission. This mission is important because it would bring Martian rocks back to Earth for laboratory analysis. Many see this as a crucial step, but it is a costly one. Only time will tell with what is in store for a mission of this magnitude. NASA is doing everything it can with its seemingly dwindling funds.