6. A Disappointing Budget
Not all was exciting new discoveries and dramatic Mars landings in the world of space exploration: The proposed FY2013 NASA budget put a damper on scientific successes by slashing the planetary science program. The draft budget lowered planetary science’s slice of the pie from $1.5 billion to $1.2 billion, a cut of 20 percent during a period of remarkable accomplishments. In response to the news, NASA was forced to back out of international partnerships on missions such as the Mars Trace Gas Orbiter and the ExoMars rover. To some NASA scientists, the budget proposal was both troubling and perplexing. As scientist Jim Bell explained to the Planetary Society, "How many government programs can you think of that consistently fill people with pride, awe, and wonder? NASA's planetary exploration program is one of the few, and so it seems particularly ironic and puzzling that it has been so specifically targeted for such drastic budget cuts.”
Image: An artist's conception of the European Space Agency's ExoMars rover. (Credit: ESA)