Congress saves NASA budget, kills Mars sample mission

"US Congress has rejected plans to slash NASA's science budget, restoring most funding with one notable exception: Mars Sample Return remains cancelled. A joint explanatory statement was released earlier this month, and lawmakers have passed the bill. The legislation, passed with 82 senators voting for it, 15 against, and three abstaining, reverses an earlier proposal that would have cut NASA's overall budget by nearly 25 percent and halved science spending - potentially shutting down many active missions."

"While the Perseverance rover is collecting samples on Mars, whether the rover's containers will ever be returned to Earth for analysis is debatable. The budget requirement for the ambitious mission ballooned as engineers grappled with the challenges, leading then NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to call for alternatives that could return samples more quickly and cheaply. NASA whittled down the options by the start of 2025,"

Lawmakers passed a spending bill by 82 votes to 15 with three abstentions that restores most NASA science funding. The final budget reverses an earlier proposal that would have cut NASA's overall budget by nearly 25 percent and halved science spending, which would have threatened many active missions. NASA will receive nearly the same nominal funding as recent years, though inflation reduces real purchasing power. The budget cancels the Mars Sample Return mission despite Perseverance collecting samples on Mars. Engineers faced ballooning costs for the sample-return effort, prompting searches for quicker, cheaper alternatives and narrowing of options by early 2025. The bill awaits presidential signature.

Read at Theregister