Mission to MARS Act
The Mission to MARS Act is a Senate bill introduced by Senator Cornyn that would authorize a new $1 billion appropriation to NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC). The money is to be spent over the period ending September 30, 2034, on a wide range of modernization and infrastructure projects at JSC. The aim is to upgrade training, research, mission control, and support facilities to prepare for advanced spaceflight, commercial space support, and potential crewed missions beyond low-Earth orbit, including collaborations with the Department of Defense. Any funds not used for the listed projects could be put toward further upgrades to facilities and infrastructure to support development of advanced spacesuits, hardware, food systems, vacuum chambers, and simulations for training for missions to LEO, the Moon, and Mars, as determined by NASA’s Administrator.
Key Points
- 1Adds a new, dedicated $1,000,000,000 appropriation to NASA for Johnson Space Center projects, available through September 30, 2034.
- 2Focused projects include training facilities (Neutral Buoyancy Lab, Ellington Field), the Mission Control Center, the Astromaterials Curation and Research facility, and numerous building and infrastructure upgrades (utilities, HVAC, fire safety, foundation, roofing, asbestos mitigation, etc.).
- 3Specific modernization aims cover preparation for commercial space station training, lunar-suited operations, and collaborations with the DoD; plus preparations for crewed missions beyond low-Earth orbit.
- 4Broad facility upgrades to support advanced spacesuit development, hardware, food systems, vacuum chambers, and simulations for training related to LEO, lunar, and Mars missions.
- 5Any remaining funds after completing the listed projects can be redirected, with Administrator approval, to additional upgrades to enable NASA and commercial entities to pursue advanced spaceflight capabilities.