Washington, 13 feb ( EFE).- NASA announced today that will not continue forward their plans to collaborate with the European Space Agency (ESA) in the robotic mission to Mars “ ExoMars“, which the Europeans plan to 2016.
“We will not continue with the opportunity (to participate in 2016 and 2018) ExoMars we have been exploring with the European Space Agency”, noted at press conference the director of NASA’s Charles Bolden, which unveiled the budget of NASA for FY 2013.
The NASA and ESA signed an agreement to share the costs of a mission into two parts in 2009 to Mars, which included the release of an Orbiter in 2016 and two robots explorers in 2018, with the aim of search for past or present signs of life on the Red Planet, as well as test technologies needed for a trip of roundtrip.
The budget of $ 17,700 million is 59 million less than the of the previous financial year (0.3 per cent less), especially notable cuts in some areas of space science and planetary exploration.
On the other hand, includes some increases in technology development and space exploration, manned missions following the goal that has marked the NASA further travel in the Solar System.
“There is no doubt that you have to take some tough decisions,” said Bolden.
Said, invest 4 billion in space operations, 4 billion in human exploration – section which includes the amount dedicated to the station space international – 4.9 billion for science, 669 million for space technology and 552 to aeronautical research.
“This budget puts us in the direction to explore farther in space than ever before, to reveal the unknown and boost the national economy in the coming years”, said the Deputy Director of NASA Lori Garver, in a statement.
La NASA will invest in new space technologies such as communication by laser and a mechanism to refuel propellant in zero gravity, which will improve the ability to travel further manned and will increase the competitiveness of the American space industry.
Telescope James Webb Space, one of the major NASA projects, with the expected replace Hubble until the conclusion of his mission, will receive 628 million dollars, 109 million more than the previous year.
Also will continue the work undertaken to develop a system of space launch (SLS), a new system to launch the capsule Orión, in which are still working, to send astronauts to destinations never before achieved as an asteroid and Mars.
Scheduled Orión capsule made its first test flight in 2014.
While, continue efforts to reconvert the facilities of the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral (Florida), from where until last year were already retired ferry, in a more modern space complex.
La NASA go further $ 830 million to continue its alliance with private enterprise, which is responsible for designing the ships which carried astronauts to the international space station.
United States ran out of own vehicle after the withdrawal of the ferries in July of last year and now has to rely on Russian Soyuz spacecraft to travel to the space complex.
Bolden pointed out that the first commercial flight with astronauts is not expected before 2017 and the first mission use Orión capsule to travel beyond Earth’s orbit won’t be before 2021.
The American President, Barack Obama, on Monday presented the proposal for the budget for fiscal year 2013, which will now have to be approved by Congress. EFE
