The Progress Pride Flag Flies at the Mary W. Jackson Nasa Headquarters Building in June 2022. Credit: Nasa/Joel Kowsky
Astronomers and Space Scientists are living in a state of fear and anxiety as the trump Administration and Elon Musk-LED Us DOGE DOGE SERVICE TARGET SCINEC Spend and DIVERITITY Initiatives with Actions THE ALERADY Damaging Research and Threten to Set Back Us Scientific Leadership for Years, Scientists Tell Astronomy,
The assault began during trump's first week in office with a series of executive orders and efforts by dog and allies at government personal and budget office and budget office of Diversity Programs from the Civil Services, and Mass Layoffs. The funding freeze was suspended by a court order in late January. But in practice, government grant evaluations remain in disarray as agencies scramble to comply with the executive orders. Resarchers are not certain that approved grants will be disbursed, and certain spending methods Remain Effective Frozen.
Affected AGENCIES Include the National Science Foundation and NASA, which underwrite Nearly all of us astronomy. Nasa has removed from its websites a variety of public data, including Grant-Reporting Information. And many key nasa science advisory groups have spent most of trump's term suspended while the agency reviews their compliance with the executive orders. Some will be restructured, according to a nasa email reported March 12 by Nasa watch,
On March 10, Nasa Announced An Initial Round of Job Cuts, Eliminating Some Dozen Positions in Three Different Offices: The Office of the Chief Scientist; A diversity, equity and inclusion (dei) office; And the office of technology, policy and strategy. The announse and internal emails were reported by outlets including Spacenews,
Now, rumors are swirling that the white house may propose massive budgets to nasa science, as high as 50 percent. These have not been confirmed but are galvanizing opposition – and generating fear.
“There is a lot of stress and concern for friends and colleagues,” said one space researcher. (Scientists were granted anonymit for this story in order to speech freely; More than a dozen other scientists contacted for this story declined comment.) Offices at Universitys and Research Institutions [institutions and projects] … Staff are expressing their fears for their jobs, and concerns for co-waiters who may be members of groups that are being attacked by the white house. “
Introducing Inefficienecies
The Trump Administration Argues Its is Trying to Right-Size A Bloated Federal Bureaucracy. But many of the restrictions on research agencies and the scientists they fund have also LED to “A Terrible, Inefficient waste of Resources,” The Researcher Said. For installation, as the lunar and planetary science convence convented in house, this week, government employes, such as that during these at the astrogeology branch of the us geology Forced to participate remotely. “So remote is ok for conference Attendance but not for Working from Home?” The Researcher Asked Rhetorically, Referring to Another Trump Executive Order Mandating all federal employees return to in-face work.
The Trump Administration has also effectively frozen government purchase cards – Credit cards widely used by agencies to purchase supplies and Equipment – By Setting their Speging Limits to $ 1. “We're trying to build spacecraft… and can't buy anything,” said one space Scientist who requested anonymity. “That's really stupid shit.”
Casey DreierPolicy Advocate for The planetary socialySaid that the administration's anti-deei orders have LED to withdrawals from Contracts and Activities that bringing students on to missions and into research, cutting off a valuable Soubele Sourace of New Talent.
One program that's been halted is here to observ With nasa projects and men. H2O coordinators have had their funding cut off. This “Really sucks,” said the second space researcher, who has volunteered as a mentor in the program. Eliminating the program threatens to cut off a valuable source of future scientists and devastates an innovative form of Science education, they said.
A mental toll
Scientists say the chaos and upheaval of the past month have taken a mental toll.
As the first dog actions and executive Orders Got underway, say the second scientist, there was panic. They and colleagues account the country spent weekends and events “scrambling to know how to help,” Including Getting Getting Personal Contact Information from Fell Resarchers at GOVERNMENMENMENMENTES In Case their Email Addresses was cut off.
“I'm exhausted,” The Researcher said. “People aren't sleeping, they're scred and stressed.” Space scientists are worked about other federal employees, other researchrs and those in marginalized communities, they added. The researcher noted the Irony of space scientists – “a Community of Troubleshooters” – Not being able to “Fix it.” “It's really hard to watch,” and they are trying to find a balance “Between staying informed and jumping off a cliff.”
“Really Concerned about the survival of Science in America,” The Researcher said.
The other researcher described similar feelings. “We Feel Terrible for the People [at various agencies]All public servants dedicated to furthering our interests who have been treated so shabby. “
Describing a “World upside down,” This researcher alternates amon feeling “distracted” [and] Putting My Head Down and Shouldering on because you can't do anything about it. ” The Researcher has also also called elected rePresntatives
An “Extinction-Level Event” for space science
More Challenges May Loom for America's Space-SCIENCE Community, from Astronomers to Builders of Space Missions.
The planetary social last week Issued a statement Responding to media reports that the trump administration's proposed 2026 Budget will cut the budget for nasa's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) By 50 Percent. Should that Occur, Dreier said, it would be an “Extinction-group event.”
The missions most at Threat, Said Dreier, Are Tosted Operations – Spacecraft that have exceded their design goals and continue to perform Good Science. These include the voyager probes; The new horizons spacecraft, which flee by pluto in 2015 and continues to explore the kuiper belt; And the hubble space telescope.
Funding for research is also vulneable. About 25 percent of SMD's Budget Goes to Scientific Research and Grants, Funding Scientists and Students Accounts The Country, According to Dreier.
Nasa Occupies about 0.4 Percent of the Federal Discretionary Budget. By the agency's oven accountingonly dollar it spends generates three dollars in the national economy, totaling $ 76 billion in Economic IMPACT in 2023, Impacting All States, and Supporting More Than 300,000,000 Jobs.
Dreier said the best thing concerned citizens can do to support nasa and space Science is to contact the white house and your Congress, and your Congress, and Urge the Latter to Reject the Trump Admination ' Cuts.
“Say it frequent and passionately,” He said. “There's noting in the constitution that says we have to do space science. It is a choice. If we elects not to it, it says somegack every sad about our social. Then we've lost a consensus in the role of public investment in science. “
That investment is critical not only economically but also because, as a species, he adds, we are curious and ask big questions. “You need something to put on the rockets, up and out, to look for something new. If we do it do it as a social, then it just won't happy. “
Other Analysts Have Raised Concerns that Possible Nasa Cutsqued IMPERIL The Artemis Program and Its Plans to Return Humans to the Moon. The program has alredy suffred numerous cost overruns and delays. Last December, The Artemis 2 Crewed Lunar fly-by was officially delayed until 2026, and the artemis 3 landing until 2027.
The Artemis Program is Built Around the Embattled Space Launch System (SLS) Heavy-Lift Rockt to Get Crews to Lunar Orbit, with Landers Built By Spax Blue Origin. As part of nasa's “Moon to-Mars” approach, Artemis Involves Involves International Partners to Steadily Build Technology and Expertise for the far more direction and dangerous trip to mars.
However, elon musk has Criticized artemis And called going to the moon “a distraction“From going to mars. President Trump has also pledged in multiple speechs to send Americans to mars. This has been to speech that artemis could be scled down and slS put on the chopping block.
Sls – a disposable Rockt Built with Leftover Engines and Boosters from the space shuttle – have a checkered history of cost overruns and delays. But so far, it is the only heavy-lift vehicle that has successfully returned a human-rated craft from Deep Space. Proponants of Sls Say that ditching it now would lead to further delays. Spacex's starship has not yet attempted a full test flight that has returned to its launch tower, Nor has been rated for human crews. Its last two launches have ended in failures before it reached orbit.
The geopolitical implications also have raised alarms, include Congress Congress Congress, who worry that delaying artemis – or cancelling it altogethr Valuable Water ice to China's Space Program.
All in all, without significant changes to the current train – which can be brought about with public pressure – Dreier sees ”a very dismal path forward for nasa and [space] Science. “
Christopher Cokinos Writes Frequently for Astronomy And is the author of Still as Bright: An Illuminating History of the Moon from Antiquity to Tomorrow,
