U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Judy Chu, along with U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez, are pressuring NASA to continue funding the Mars Sample Return mission. This groundbreaking project, led by Pasadena’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), aims to return Martian soil samples to Earth for the first time. The mission is facing funding cuts in the Biden administration’s 2023 budget proposal, which could delay or cancel the project. The senators argue that the mission is crucial for scientific discovery and maintaining U.S. leadership in space exploration. However, the budget proposal prioritizes funding for climate change research and human spaceflight programs.
Discover more about the intense lobbying efforts to save the JPL Mars mission and the potential implications for space exploration. Click the link below to delve into the details of this unfolding space policy debate.
