The Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal includes significant cuts to NASA's science directorate, reducing funding by more than half. This budget would terminate operations of several Mars spacecraft, including the Mars Odyssey and MAVEN missions, both of which continue to gather important data. Experts condemn the decision as wasteful, warning that ending these missions compromises the U.S. space program and allows adversaries like China and Russia to gain an upper hand. Critics label this approach a tragic mistake for the administration.
All three missions are still collecting valuable data about the planet and relaying important communications from NASA's rovers currently roaming its rugged surface.
Experts have warned that simply giving up on them would be an enormous waste.
Abruptly ending the agency's operations in Mars' orbit could deal a devastating blow to the United States' space program overall, an enormous self-inflicted wound.
This is a tragic mistake for the new administration, according to Southwest Research Institute scientist and former NASA science chief Alan Stern.
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