Finding funding for Mars mission

“Our nation will return to the Moon, and we will put American boots on the face of Mars,” said Vice President of the United States Mike Pence, following his appointment at the head of the newly reformed National Space Council.

However, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced this week that they will not be able to follow through with their plans to send a manned mission to the Martian surface in the 2030s due to lack of funding.

A total of $19.1 billion will be budgeted to NASA for the 2018 fiscal year, up from the $18.5 billion allocated to NASA in 2016. Still, this...