Mars Society Denounces Trump Plans to Wreck NASA Space Science

Planetary Exploration and Space Astronomy are at Risk

News broke today that the Trump administration will ask for a 50 percent cut in NASA’s Space Science Directorate budget for FY 2026. These cuts will almost certainly entail the shutting down of the Mars Curiosity rover, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Voyager and New Horizon interstellar probes, among others, and derail almost all plans for future American planetary exploration and astronomy missions.

The Mars Society stands 100 percent in opposition to this brutal attempt to wreck American space science.

Commenting on the proposed cuts, Mars Society President & Founder Dr. Robert Zubrin said “NASA’s Space Science Directorate is by far the most cost-effective part of the space agency. Its accomplishments have been epic, including sending rovers to Mars, and orbiters or flyby missions to every planet in our solar system. It has astonished the world with the magnificent discoveries of its Hubble, Webb and other space telescopes. It is not merely the crown jewel of NASA. It is the gothic cathedral of our age, carrying the banner of our society’s highest ideal – the search for truth through science. Destroying it would be wanton crime not only against science, but civilization itself.

“The Mars Society stands ready to work with all individuals and organizations to oppose and prevent this mad act of barbarism.”