Guest post: Matthew Chojnacki: Public service announcement by, and for, planetary grad students

Posted By Matthew Chojnacki

2012/03/19 04:58 CDT

Topics: Space Policy, personal stories

by Matthew Chojnacki

The President's proposed 2013 NASA budget calls for deep cuts to the nation's very successful planetary science program. These cuts not only threaten the future of planetary science, but also impact our ability to conduct deep space missions. As the next generation of planetary scientists, the graduate student community is deeply concerned about the ramifications of these budget cuts, and we must voice our concerns to policymakers in Washington, D.C.

n the coming weeks we will be gathering resources, targeting our Congressmen and Congresswomen, and writing our petitions to Congress to restore adequate funding to NASA's planetary science budget. Graduate students, please join us by following our Facebook page to stay informed and by telling your friends to do the same. Please contact us at NASAgradpetition@gmail.com if you are willing to be a point contact for your school, or if you have other input.

Matthew Chojnacki

Matt Chojnacki is a Ph.D. candidate in Planetary Geology and Remote Sensing, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee. His research focuses on the geologic, petrologic, morphologic, and climatic evolutions of the planet Mars. He also provides mission support by processing new images and performing data analysis on Odyssey THEMIS and Mars Exploration Rover Pancam data.