The US Donald Trump president last week puts one of the biggest challenges for NASA – to land the first people on Mars.
But his detailed budget request for the fiscal year 2026 Suggested cancellation of dozen agency missionsincluding projects to study land, Mars and Venus. And on the next day, 31 May, Trump sent his nomination for NASA chief, businessman and commercial astronaut Isaacman.
All of these left the agency in the space of chaos, and scientists who usually participate in NASA’s missions separated if they supported the red planet.
In support of science journalism
If you enjoy this article, think about supporting our winning journalism in Subscribe. By purchasing a subscription you helped to ensure the future of influential stories about the discoveries and ideas that make our world today.
A budget deficit
NASA wants to put people on Mars for decades, but technology limits and budget means not to happen until 2040s underneath the plans today. Trump wants to facilitate timeline. On 30 May, the White House suggested to spend US $ 1 billion in 2026 in Mars plans, including research on new spacesuits launch system. “These investments will provide technologies needed for future exploration of Mars and the final missions of Mars,” as in NASA badget plan.
If the space agency wants to focus on the shipment of people to Mars, policy specialists – policies that need to cope with spending. A person’s mission to Mars is likely to cost hundreds of billions of dollars spread over many years; The agency now spends $ 25 billion in a year of all programs, and Trump suggests cutting under $ 19 billion. “Today, on budgets suggested, we cannot send people to Mars,” says Johnensicld, astrophysicist leading agency science programs from 2012 to 2016.
The latest Rhetoric of Trump in Mars echoed the decisions in his first term as president, if, in 2017, He announced that NASA is to send astronauts to the moon. In 2022, the agency tried a mega-rocket intended to achieve that purpose, but that mission, Artemis Inot injured. Many technical challenges remain before people can be placed on lunar face – a goal that now ends with 2027.
A challenge is achieving success in The giant star carconstructed by Aerospace Company Spacex in Hawthorne, California. Once the Mega-rocket of NASA inspires astronauts in the lunar orbit, they will be with the star, they fly to the face of the moon. But the stars have any successful orbit of the ground, especially not to show frequent launches and refuelings needed for the month landing; The most recent test flight ends in the blast of 27 May.
Days after that blow, Elon Musk, the billionaire spacecut executive Who advises TrumpSaid he even expected to launch the first Mars star next year. Some scientists have stopped the idea of people in Mars by joining musk. Technological technology has long deals with red planet, but there is little consideration in social or international behavior. In recent months, he led Trump Administration efforts to warm the US government and snash science funds, Although the spacex is likely to compete for the billions of dollar amounts of government contracts in search of Mars.
A hard environment
Some are more excited about the prospect of landing people on the red planet. NASA has a management missions in many times, sending a series of robotic spacecraft, including curiosity and ENDURANCE rovers. Some researchers say astronauts can easily explore the easier and gain better understanding of any people hosting extraterrestrial life. “If we want to answer the question if mars have a life or life now, I think people should send Tanya to Otter Space Institute based in Ottawa, Canada.
But even favors cautious that traveling on Mars is not only cost – take funding from many other research programs – But there are many physical hazards. On the road to Mars, astronauts face serious solitude and higher doses of deadly radiation in space in higher times than they expose to the moon or in space stations. If they are successful in Mars, they should go out of their capsule without collapse after zero-grivity voyagage; Start working in a frigid environment where stunning chemicals are full and no breathless air; and deal with dust storms.
There are solutions, such as living within a tube underground made by volcanic activity, which can cause protection against radiation storms and dust. But Mars visits will be like visiting Antarctica – another enemy, dangerous surroundings – with a much more dangerous, scientists say. “I want to disables people with thoughts that they have people to be good,” Erik Antonsen, a Space Physuologys researcher at the conference of Space Space Space on 28 May.
Science on the table
Trump’s suggestion is likely to have support from some US Congress politicians. They can vote on the appropriate at least one proportion of the amount of values that are required to go to Mars because they want to achieve Spiyoning Milestones in Spieoning Spielec Space Space Space Space Agency. China announced plans to put astronauts on the month of 2030, and on Mars after that.
So some scientists are determined to make the best of it. “Given that there is an active planning that continues to develop architecture for man’s missions by NASA, as science Bruce at the University of Colorado Boulder. He and the other leads a study of 2023 That indicates scientific purposes, including astrobiology studies, that astronauts can make red planet.
In the near term, Jakosky said, NASA should be prioritized a robotic mission to return dozen stones, dirt and air samples gathering on Mars by $ 2.7-billion maintenance of progress. Doing so appear that the agency has the ability to shipping the spacecraft to and from Mars, he said, and to allow scientists to analyze the stones of life. However, the agency struggling how to pay for a missionand Trump suggests cancellation of it.
In view of the grensfelds, the ones should focus on building a streamlined architecture to get people to the people as possible. For example, it can attempt new plans in the international space station in space and withdraw plans for astronauts to build many bases of the month. “We need to use the technology we need at the maximum width,” he said.
Regardless of, Congress and Trump Decision, the current uncertainty in politics is a large challenge, Harrison said. He worried that suggestions last week do not lead to Momentum’s continuation: “Is this authority now, and Mars forgot a year?”
This article has been copied with permission and first published On June 4, 2025.
