Space Policy Edition #13 – The 2018 Budget Proposal and Is Mars Exploration in Retrograde?

The Trump Administration released its proposed FY2018 budget just days ago. Casey Dreier, Jason Callahan and Mat Kaplan dive deep into what this controversial plan means for NASA and how it has been received by Congress. Casey and Jason then provide a fascinating though disturbing preview of a Planetary Society white paper. Mars in Retrograde carefully and comprehensively analyzes the history and current status of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, and calls for immediate steps to protect future robotic exploration of the Red Planet.

A new episode of Space Policy Edition is posted on the first Friday of each month. Let us know what you think! Comment on this page or write to [email protected].

Related Reading and References:

• FY2018 NASA budget proposal made by the Trump Administration (pdf)
• NASA’s 2018 budget request is here, and we broke down the details (planetary.org)
• Mars in Retrograde - A Pathway to Restoring NASA's Mars Exploration Program (pdf)
• Announcing a new paper on NASA's Mars Exploration Program (planetary.org)
• The Fading Fortunes of Mars, feature article in The Planetary Report (Society members only)
• The Planetary Society’s political advocacy site