Space Quote: Senator’s Warning About NASA Cuts

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. (NASA)

“When you pull the plug on major space science, it’s like eating your seed corn; it’s so damaging to our entire ecosystem when it comes to American leadership and innovation in this area…We will lose engineers, we will lose others to China. In fact, they are launching a major space exploration initiative.”

–Statement by Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen commenting on potential DOGE cuts after visiting NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center just outside the Washington, DC Beltway. The Center is home to the nation’s largest organization of scientists, engineers and technologists who build spacecraft, instruments and new technology to study Earth, the sun, our solar system, and the universe.

Space Quote: More on the DEI Issue and Artemis

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artemis II crew members greeting a crowd in April 2023. From left to right is Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina. (NASA)

“[I]t is important to note that the change in language does not indicate a change in crew assignments.”

-Statement by a NASA spokesperson to Space.com regarding the recent removal of “DEI” language from the Artemis mission page. The scheduled crew for the upcoming Artemis II mission includes one woman, one person of color, and one international astronaut, as stated earlier on NASA’s website.

Space Quote: The Cutting Continues at NASA

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Image by David Yonatan González from Pixabay

“Good work by @NASA this week:
-Eliminated their unused Purchasing Cards (~80%)
-Terminated ~$420M in unneeded contracts, including $45M ($15M each) to three separate consultants, all for “Change Management Support Services””

-Statement on Twitter/X by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The specific “unneeded” contacts being cut beyond the three provided contracts is unclear. What is the chance that any of the cuts will impact SpaceX or other Musk interests? Probably zero at this point. We will need to wait for more transparency once the dust settles.

Space Quote: Musk Should Exit Washington and Return to Building Rockets

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Mark Kelly from his time as a NASA astronaut. (NASA)

”I swore an oath to our Constitution, to protect and defend the Constitution. I have lived that oath my entire life... [The] only oath I can think of that maybe Elon has sworn is an oath to his checking account, to his pocketbook. An oath, maybe, to ruining the lives of veterans.”

-Statement by Senator Mark Kelly, as quoted by The Independent, after Elon Musk called him a traitor for visiting Ukraine and criticizing Russia’s invasion. The Senator, who served as both a Navy pilot and a NASA astronaut, said Mr. Musk should focus his time on building rockets, which is a bit of a slam given that the last two Starship tests ended in explosions. Senator Kelly later said he is getting rid of his Telsa car because it reminds him of the amount of damage Donald Trump and Elon Musk are doing to the country.

Space Quote: More on the ISS “Stranded” Story

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (Twitter/X)

“You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September.”

–Comments by Andreas Mogensen, a Danish astronaut who commanded the ISS between September 2023 to early 2024, in response to Elon Musk’s constant tweets about his efforts to “rescue” the two Starliner astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). NASA already resolved the issue, yet Mr. Musk seems to need the attention given that otherwise the media keeps ignoring his actions (such as harassing federal employees, including those at NASA).