On the funding chopping block, NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: NASA/GSFC

On the funding chopping block, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Credit: NASA/GSFC

A scientific and public campaign is underway to keep operating NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Opportunity Mars rover.

Both have been zeroed out in the President’s FY16 budget for NASA. This is despite LRO and Opportunity being highly ranked in a recent “Senior Review” of planetary missions.

LRO was launched in 2009; Opportunity has been on duty on Mars since its landing in early 2004.

Still beaming after all these years - NASA's Opportunity Mars rover. Credit: NASA/JPL

Still beaming after all these years – NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover.
Credit: NASA/JPL

 

But there is an even deeper issue that is being expressed by the letter-writing campaign.

That is, the role of the independent review process within NASA’s budget decisions.

Furthermore, why have senior reviews in the first place, followed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) decisions to cut those missions anyway?

 

Recommendations rejected

“It is hoped that a strong show of support from the planetary — and specifically the lunar community — will demonstrate to our elected officials the backing these planetary missions have,” explains lunar researcher, Clive Neal of the Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

In a letter to the scientific community, requesting signatures of support, the communiqué explains that “we were greatly surprised” by the President’s FY 2016 budget request for NASA, which proposed to defund continued operations of both Opportunity and the LRO.

On-duty eye on the Moon: Four different images taken by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of a lunar crater (18 meter diameter) recently formed on the Moon; each scene is 560 meters wide. Being able to get observations before, during and after the impact is a valuable opportunity to better understand impact events. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

On-duty eye on the Moon: Four different images taken by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter of a lunar crater (18 meter diameter) recently formed on the Moon; each scene is 560 meters wide. Being able to get observations before, during and after the impact is a valuable opportunity to better understand impact events.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

“This decision rejects the recommendations made by the planetary senior review process. These two missions were among the most highly ranked in the Report – only the Cassini mission at Saturn was judged as having a better science return,” the letter explains.

“We urge Congress to support the results of this independent review process and to augment NASA’s budget to continue operating its fleet of high-performing, scientifically valuable planetary spacecraft,” the letter concludes.

On-going research underway by NASA Opportunity rover, wheeling its way on the Red Planet in this Sol 4006 image. Credit: NASA/JPL

On-going research underway by NASA Opportunity rover, wheeling its way on the Red Planet in this Sol 4006 image.
Credit: NASA/JPL

Public outreach

Also engaged in activating a public response to these issues is The Planetary Society.

“Here at The Planetary Society, we’ve been gathering petitions from our members and the wider community for LRO/Opportunity since early March,” explains Casey Dreier, Director of Advocacy for the organization.

Dreier advised Inside Outer Space that the URL below is perfect for the public to get engaged about supporting these missions. It sends a message directly to representatives in Congress, he said, with a default letter (which can be modified) that contains a focus on the cancelled missions within the context of planetary exploration.

Letters will be sent to the congressional people that sit on the committees that oversee NASA’s budget.

NOTE: To have your voice heard on these issues, go to:

https://secure.planetary.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=183

7 Responses to “Wanted! Your Voice to Keep Moon, Mars Spacecraft Alive”

  • Mark Kreitler says:

    I’m sure I’m not the first to post this, but I’m too lazy to look back through the comments…

    …NASA needs to launch a Kickstarter for these things.

    The sooner we replace taxation with Kickstarters, the better…

  • Mark Trauernicht says:

    These projects provide irreplaceable platforms for exploration of our Solar System. The scientific insights they provide more than justify the expense of maintaining and staffing them. As such, they should continue to be funded.

  • julian villarreal says:

    i think these missions are very important for our time, there the stepping stone for space exlporation

  • Save the LRO mission and lunar science! I continue to support LRO as a system engineer and have been proud to be apart LRO’s MOC team enabling lunar science. There are no other NASA lunar missions at this time and none on the immediate horizon so it would be wasteful and shameful to shut off LRO and prevent any near-term NASA future lunar science.

  • Randy Daniel says:

    The United States of America is the greatest country in the world. It is our destiny to explore the universe, much like our ancestors the New World, which later became our great nation.

  • Randy Daniel says:

    The United States of America is the greatest country in the world. It is our destiny to explore the universe, much like our ancestors explored the New World, which later became our great nation.

  • C. K. Prothro says:

    Space is Humanity’s only hope of a future. If we do not study the bodies in space, learn from those bodies and eventually move to those bodies, we are finished.

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