Mars Odyssey has been orbiting Mars since October 2001, successfully completing over 100,000 orbits and collecting data about the planet. The spacecraft is facing challenges due to a proposed budget cut by President Trump that seeks to reduce NASA's science budget by nearly half. The current spending on over 100 science missions is deemed unsustainable by the administration. In response to these budget concerns, NASA has begun downsizing its workforce, offering incentives for early retirement amidst significant personnel departures.
Mars Odyssey has been orbiting the Red Planet since October 2001, making over 100,000 spins. It serves as a communication relay for NASA's Mars rovers.
President Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget request for NASA proposes nearly halving the science budget from $7.33 billion to $3.9 billion, targeting numerous missions for cuts.
The administration claims that the current expenditure of over $7 billion per year on more than 100 missions is unsustainable and supports a reallocation of resources.
NASA is experiencing a brain drain, with the need to downsize its agency and realign resources to meet mission needs already prompting workforce reductions.
Collection
[
|
...
]