NASA Budget Needs 'Big Bang' for Mars Mission

Will NASA or private industry be the first to land humans on Mars? This is an important question due to the growing competition from commercial space startups, as Elon Musk of SpaceX recently announced.

“I think, if things go according to plan, we should be able to launch people probably in 2024, with arrival in 2025,” Musk said Wednesday, according to Space Flight Now. 

"The basic game plan is we’re going to send a mission to Mars with every Mars opportunity from 2018 onwards. They occur approximately every 26 months. We’re establishing cargo flights to Mars that people can count on for cargo. That’s what’s necessary to create a self-sustaining, or a growing, city on Mars."

Therefore, if NASA aspires to win the new 21st century space race to Mars than Congress and the President must heed the words of John F. Kennedy, who said during his famous "Moon Speech" in 1962: it's time "to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear."

NASA is in need of a big budget boost for deep space exploration and discovery to benefit all mankind, which includes fast-tracking its planned manned mission to Mars now scheduled for the 2030s.

That's because of ambitious and successful startups like Space X which want to send humans to Mars first -- not to mention other new space competitors, such as Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin led by Jeff Bezos. Let's also not forget about the industry titans of aerospace, such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, to name only a few.

Rich History, Challenging Future

Let's remember that the American space agency is a crown jewel of public sector innovation and a global role model for groundbreaking scientific research and technology. However, if NASA's budget for the Mars mission isn't supersized soon, then how can the space agency maximize its full potential?

How can NASA put astronauts on the red planet before its private sector rivals and global competitors, like Europe, Russia and China, without more funding?

NASA serves as a reminder to a wary world of what’s possible when the United States Government harnesses the space agency’s full potential, as evidenced by a rich history of landmark achievements.

These historic accomplishments range from landing men on the moon, to current breakthroughs via the Mars Rovers, in addition to amazing findings by the Hubble and Kepler Space Telescopes.

Hubble is able to see back to the beginning of the universe, soon after the so-called "Big Bang". Meanwhile, Kepler continues to discover hundreds of new Earth-like planets orbiting stars similar to our sun -- albeit millions of light years away (one light year = about 9 trillion kilometers or approximately 6 trillion miles).

Some of these so-called exoplanets closely resemble Earth with rocky surfaces, atmospheres and the potential for water -- or oceans of liquid nitrogen, for example. These exoplanets are located in the habitable "Goldilocks Zone" and may in fact harbor life, at the microbial level or otherwise.

The more Kepler examines the cosmos, the more exoplanets it finds with solar systems similar to our own.

Thus, NASA has not only proven instrumental in boldly going “where no man has gone before" but also in applying innovative approaches in space that yield practical technology solutions to problems on Earth.

• NASA Spinoff PSA with Actor Seth Green (one minute video).

When it comes to a rich return on investment (ROI), NASA provides a technology windfall to multiple industries via its Earth Science missions. NASA’s amazing discoveries in space provide important tangible benefits back home, which should not be overlooked.

Today’s NASA initiatives include sending humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s (video), among other important projects. But getting astronauts to Mars by the 2030s may not be soon enough to compete with private sector technology and innovation.

• For more on NASA innovation and technology, check out my interview with the space agency’s Deputy Chief Technologist here.

Envy of the World?

In its heyday, the U.S. space program was the envy of the world and beat the former Soviet Union in a "Cold War" space race to land the first man on the moon. But what about NASA today?

It’s unwise to rely on Russia to hitch a ride to the International Space Station (ISS) because of the dissolution of our own space shuttle program.

That's why it's imperative that NASA be self-sufficient and return to its glory days of yesteryear. And while some private sector companies are moving closer to commercializing space travel, it’s NASA that ultimately has the most expertise, experience and resources to make historic scientific discoveries which benefit all mankind.

Therefore, it’s unfortunate that NASA has been underfunded, in my opinion, due to the ongoing climate of budget austerity in Washington and a lack of vision by some politicians. This is nonsensical because if any federal agency deserves a major budget increase based on science and technology ROI then it is most certainly NASA.

JFK's Challenge to America

Further, one can’t put a price on inspiring the nation through space exploration, like President John F. Kennedy did in the early 1960s. President Kennedy massively increased NASA's budget because he had the vision to understand the critical importance of America leading the world in space exploration, research and technology.

According to Ten Presidents and NASA, "On May 25, 1961, Kennedy addressed a joint session of Congress to announce his decision to go to the moon. He backed up this decision with remarkable financial commitments. Under JFK, NASA’s budget was boosted by 89 percent one year, and then by another 101 percent the following year."

As JFK said during his famous "moon speech" in September 1962 (video):

"I regard the decision last year to shift our efforts in space from low to high gear as among the most important decisions that will be made during my incumbency in the office of the Presidency."

Today's lawmakers in Washington should take a cue from JFK and supersize NASA's budget ASAP for the manned Mars mission. This will not only benefit the USA,  but the entire world.

Otherwise, private sector ventures might make history and relegate NASA to the dustbin of history.

What do YOU think?

* All views and opinions are those of the author only.

* All photos courtesy of NASA.

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