The White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will release their draft of the 2014 budget when Congress returns to session in less than two weeks. Will it contain devastating cuts to planetary exploration like those
proposed last year? Or, thanks to your work right now, will it restore this
crucial funding
We need you to take immediate action.
Write to the OMB and
the White House. Ask them to restore funding to planetary exploration. Tell
them to let NASA build off of the stunning success of Curiosity and continue
the search for life in our solar system.
The White House and the OMB need to know the magnitude of public
support. They need to hear that you want exciting missions that drive our
understanding of our place in space. They need to know that a modest investment
in exploration generates huge returns in technology and science for this
country.
We have two weeks to make an impact before the new budget is
released. According to our sources, there is still time to influence the
outcome. But we need you and your friends to get the word out. The more letters
they get, the more likely they’ll listen.
Getting the OMB to restore funding to planetary exploration
would be a major accomplishment. Congress only approves budgets on an annual basis, but the
OMB provides five-year budget forecasts. These give federal agencies like NASA
a way to plan long-term projects. If we want the big missions to Europa, Titan,
or Mars, we need the support of the OMB.
Just think of what NASA could do with restored funding. This
could be the decade in which we retrieve a sample of Martian soil and return it
to Earth, or send a probe to explore the oceans of Europa, or the lakes of
Titan. Restored funding also allows more Discovery class missions – smaller projects
that test technology and pursue truly exciting science. The scientific returns are
inestimable.
We have the technology. We have the desire. Will the OMB
give us the means?