Arizona scientists fear big cuts in Mars research

Scientists are worried that Arizona's world-renowned research programs to unlock the mysteries of Mars could be significantly cut back under the latest federal budget proposed by the president. The 2013 fiscal budget would slash funding for NASA's Mars Exploration Program by 39 percent, or $226 million. The Mars program provides funds for Arizona universities and other organizations for projects such as the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which circles the planet and whose high-powered camera is operated by the University of Arizona. The budget proposed by President Barack Obama still must work its way through Congress. A substantial cut in Mars money could force the shrinking or cancellation of key programs and translate into lost jobs and fewer Mars research opportunities for university students, scientists say. Already, NASA, to conform to the proposed budget, has canceled its involvement in a Mars orbiter scheduled to launch in 2016 with the European Space Agency, and there are concerns that more programs could be cut. The orbiter was supposed to carry a high-powered camera being designed by UA called the High Resolution Stereo Color Imager, or HiSCI. "It's very disturbing. This very successful program doesn't have a rosy future right now," Alfred McEwen, a UA professor who leads the team designing the camera, said of proposed cuts to the entire Mars program. McEwen estimated the contract for operating the camera would have been worth a couple of million dollars a year. Scientific groups, such as the non-profit Planetary Science Institute, based in Tucson, oppose the cuts outlined in Obama's budget request. The institute is pushing Congress to increase funding for Mars research for fiscal 2013, which begins Oct. 1. The Mars Exploration Program has a $587 million budget this year. The institute also wants to ensure that missions currently operating will be fully funded for as long as they produce high-value science. Arizona's history of research involving the Red Planet dates back more than 100 years, to around the turn of the century. Astronomer Percival Lowell, founder of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, theorized that a network of fine lines crisscrossing the planet were actually canals and may have been the work of intelligent life. His writings influenced science-fiction authors such as H.G. Wells and helped popularize Mars as a possible site for alien life. In recent decades, many robotic missions to Mars have included Arizona researchers as members of the science teams. Researchers also have designed and operated scientific instruments for the spacecraft. Arizona State University scientists have two instruments on the Mars rover Opportunity and one instrument on a spacecraft in orbit around Mars. UA also has a high-powered camera aboard another Mars orbiter. A few years ago, the university led the highly publicized Phoenix Mars Mission, an unmanned spacecraft that landed in the polar region. NASA grants for Mars research have funneled tens of millions of dollars into Arizona over the decades. It's unclear how the budget proposal, if approved by Congress, would impact individual research projects now under way. Scientists typically reapply every year to get NASA funding for ongoing research. Less money would mean more competition for available funds. NASA officials did not return calls and e-mails Tuesday seeking comment on the budget proposal. ASU receives about $4.7 million a year in NASA funding, including money for a Mars education program for Grade 5 through high school. UA's most high-profile Mars project is the high-powered camera orbiting the Red Planet on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The project receives about $5 million a year in NASA funding, although not all the money goes to the university. Some goes to subcontractors and other federal agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey. About 30 people at UA work on the high-powered camera and another 30 at ASU work on Mars research, including students and support staff. Not all are full time. Cuts to the Mars program also could limit what scientific projects are carried out in the future. For instance, in addition to ending the 2016 joint project with the European Space Agency, NASA also won't move forward with a second joint spacecraft project with the agency in 2018. ASU scientists were planning to propose scientific instruments for that mission, said Jim Bell, an ASU professor who is the lead scientist for the color cameras aboard the Opportunity rover. Scientists are hoping Congress can head off the cuts. The Planetary Science Institute in Tucson receives about $2.5 million a year in funding for Mars projects, or about 35 percent of its budget, said Mark Sykes, the institute's director. About 30 of the institute's 100 people work on Mars research. The institute recently published a position paper asking Congress to restore funding for fiscal 2013 and increase the budget for Mars research. Sykes plans to visit Washington this week to speak with lawmakers. "Arizona has very much a vested interest in the health of solar-system exploration," he said. "With the kind of cuts we're looking at, if something isn't done, we could lose that, and it wouldn't come back." The proposed cuts are part of the Obama administration's efforts to shift priorities for the space program. Under his plan, NASA's total budget of $17.7 billion would decrease only slightly, by 0.3 percent, or $59 million. Some NASA divisions, however, such as Planetary Science, which includes the Mars program, would see deeper cuts. Others would get additional funding, including the Earth Science division and the James Webb Telescope, a large infrared space telescope pegged to launch in 2018 that has been plagued by cost overruns. NASA's proposed budget also doubles seed money for developing commercial spaceflights, to $829 million. In unveiling budget details at a recent news conference, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said the proposal allows the nation to aggressively pursue space exploration in a constrained fiscal environment. He said "tough choices" had to be made. As part of the proposed changes, a new Mars planning group will develop a new strategy for the program. Bolden said the administration is committed to continuing the country's leadership role in Mars exploration, within the available budget. Goals include new robotic missions and future human missions to Mars, he said. Human missions are not likely to happen for a while. The Mars Science Laboratory, scheduled to land in August, features the largest robotic rover to date but is unmanned.