The following is an abbreviated timeline. More updates coming soon.
Fall 2011: NASA's FY13 budget pass-back from the Office of Management and Budget leads to the resignation of Associate Administrator for Space Science, Ed Weiler, who cites coming dramatic cut-backs in funding for NASA's Mars exploration program as his reason for leaving the agency. As early as the Spring, NASA had indicated to the European Space Agency that it might not be able to meet its commitment to the joint Exo-Mars missions, in 2016 or 2018.
Feb. 13, 2012—NASA releases its FY13 budget request, which, at $17.7 billion, is a slight decline from FY12. The planetary science budget was reduced from FY12 by $300 million, with more than $200 million from the Mars program—a 40% cut ($581.7 million in FY12). Instead, the Administration proposed to double NASA's support to private for commercial crew transport to $850 million, as compared to the less than $406 million Congress appropriated in FY12.
Feb. 27—NASA Associate Administrator for Science, former astronaut John Grunsfeld, announced at the meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, made up of Mars scientists, the NASA establishment of the Mars Program Planning Group, to "reformulate" the Mars program, geared toward small, relatively inexpensive future missions. The Mars scientists angrily observed at the meeting that you can't solve big questions with small missions.
March 7—At hearings by both House and Senate authorizing committees on the FY13 NASA budget request express their disagreement with the White House policy. Not only the Mars exploration budget, but the manned capsule, Orion, and the heavy lift laucher are slated for $362 million in cuts. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison says Congress is never going to increase funding for commercial crew, at the expense of the manned exploration program.
April 5—hearings in the House and Senate by both authorizing and appropriating committees, where OMB witnesses tried to deny they had set a limit for spending on space science missions, flagrantly contradicting statements by NASA officials that they've been told the opposite by OMB.
April 7—Russian Space Agency and European Space Agency annouce they have agreed to cooperate on the 2016 and 2018 orbiter and landers ExoMars missions, wherein Russia will provide capabilities NASA was to have contributed.
April 25—the House Committee on Appropriations bill for FY13 increases NASA's budget for future Mars missions to $150 million, or $88 million above the request; Discovery and New Froniter programs (which could include a Mars mission) is given $480 million, which is $115.4 million above the request; planetary science research is increased by $3.5 million.
May 7—Obama threatens to veto the proposed FY13 appropriations bill, in part due to its reduction to NASA's commercial crew program, which provides $500 million for commercial crew, from the $830 million the White House requested.
May 10—Regardless of the veto threat, the full House approved its version of NASA's FY13 budget.
July 9—National Research Council meeting with former NASA Administrators on NASA's future. Former NASA Administrator James Beggs said that "there is too much program for the budget." The solution is simple he said: increase NASA's budget by $4-5 billion per year, which would give it enough money to carry out all of its programs.
