"Congressional Caucus Revives Support for Space and Planetary Science Programs"
A bipartisan congressional caucus, led by Reps. Judy Chu and Don Bacon, has been relaunched to advocate for NASA's planetary science programs, which are facing reduced budgets and uncertain prospects. The caucus aims to educate other members and the public on the benefits of space exploration, particularly planetary science missions and related research. The 2024 spending bill provides $2.717 billion for planetary science, nearly half a billion dollars less than what NASA received in 2023, leading to concerns about the future of programs like the Mars Sample Return.