Brainstorming Mars Exploration

Since the federal budget travails forced NASA to reduce its planetary exploration expectations, the agency has reached out for proposals that would allow NASA to pursue its exploration of Mars at reduced funding levels.  So far, 400 ideas and program proposals have been sent in from all over the world.

NASA officials are taking that response as evidence of the importance scientists generally put on exploring Mars.  The agency's Mars planning group, consisting of some of NASA's highest officials, will spend the rest of this year whittling down that number to a few that might actually be pursued starting in 2018 and continuing for perhaps a decade after that.