Planetary Society Decries NASA Budget Cuts

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which is one of the programs that NASA may need to cut as a result of proposed budget cuts. (Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science)

Earlier today, the Planetary Society issued a press release condemning recently announced proposed science cuts at NASA. This is the same week that the Senate heard from the nominee for NASA Administrator, Jared Isaacman, who stated in his written testimony:

I am an advocate for science. During these missions to space, my crew & I performed approximately 50 science and research experiments. I have also publicly supported the Chandra x-Ray Observatory and offered to fund a mission to extend the life and capabilities of the Hubble space telescope.

In its press release, the Planetary Society pulled no punches:

Days ago, the Administration’s nominee to lead NASA called for a “new golden age of science and discovery” at the agency. The proposed budget from within the White House — which cuts NASA science by 47% — would plunge NASA into a dark age instead.

If enacted, this budget would force the premature termination of dozens of active, productive spacecraft. These spacecraft are unique assets: their instrumentation and capabilities cannot be replaced without billions of dollars of new taxpayer investment. No commercial or private space companies can fill this gap.

This budget would halt the development of nearly every future science project at NASA, wasting billions of dollars of taxpayer funds already spent on these projects, abandoning international and commercial partners, and surrendering U.S. leadership in space science to other nations.

This budget would eviscerate space science research, withering the nation’s STEM talent pipeline by removing opportunities to train future scientists and engineers.

The Planetary Society condemns this proposal for NASA and for NASA science. We urge Congress to swiftly reject this proposal and restore funding for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. We remain committed to joining with all stakeholders to protect and promote U.S. leadership in the scientific exploration of space.

It is time to write to Congress about these cuts. The Planetary Society provided a helpful page to do this.

It is also a good time to get a full time Administrator to fight for the agency if Mr. Isaacman’s comments can be believed.