The three-day MPPG workshop, hosted by the NASA-funded Lunar Planetary Institute (LPI), was convened by NASA to assist in the replanning of its long-term Mars exploration strategy in response to deep spending cuts outlined in the space agency’s proposed 2013 budget.
The White House proposed a 40% reduction, or $361 million, for next year. The annual total falls below $190 million in 2015, before rising to $503 million in 2017, according to NASA budget projections.