The flag of the progress pride flies to the building of the NASA headquarters of Mary W. Jackson in June 2022. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky
Astronomists and space scientists live in a state of fear and anxiety such as the Trump administration and the Elon -guided Doga Service and at the guidance of scientific expenses and differences in diversity with actions that are already damaging research and threaten to restart scientific leadership for years, scientists say Astronomy.
The assault began during the first week of Trump in office with a series of executive orders and efforts by doge and allies at the government staff and the budget offices that direct a federal freezing freezing, a purge of diversity programs from civil services and mass layoffs. The freezing of the loan was suspended by an order of the court in late January. But in practice, the assessments of government subsidies remain in disorder while the agencies undertake to respect the executive orders. The researchers are not sure that the approved subsidies are paid and that some shopping methods remain effectively frozen.
The agencies concerned include the National Science Foundation and NASA, which subscribe to almost all astronomy. NASA has removed a variety of public data from its websites, including information on reporting subsidies. And many scientific consultative groups of the Key Nasa have spent most of Trump’s mandate while the agency examines their compliance with executive orders. Some will be renovated, according to an and NASA email reported on March 12 by Nasa Watch.
On March 10, NASA announced an initial round of working cuts, eliminating about two dozens of positions in three different offices: the office of the scientist head; an office of diversity, equity and inclusion (gods); and the office of technology, politics and strategy. The announcement and the internal e -mails have been reported by points of sale including SpaceNews.
Now, they are turning up that the White House could offer huge cuts to the budget for NASA science, up to 50 percent. These have not been confirmed but are galvanizing the opposition and generating fear.
“There is a lot of stress and concern for friends and colleagues,” said a space researcher. (Scientists were granted anonymity for this story to speak freely; more than a dozen other scientists contacted for this story have refused the comment.) This researcher added that the high managers and legal offices and contracts in universities and research institutions “are spending a lot of time trying to understand how the Blizzard of executive orders (which are sometimes canceled and often [institutions and projects] … the staff are expressing their fears for their work and concerns for colleagues who can be members of groups that are attacked by the White House. “
Presentation of inefficiencies
The Trump administration claims that a swollen federal bureaucracy is looking for right size. But many of the restrictions on research agencies and scientists who finance have also brought to “a terrible and inefficient waste of resources,” said the researcher. For example, when the Lunar and Planetary Science conference summoned the government employees to Houston this week, such as those of the Astrogeology branch of the US Geological Survey, have been prohibited by travel and are forced to participate at a distance. “So the remote is good for the frequency of the conference but not to work from home?” The researcher asked Rhetorically, referring to another executive order of Trump who imposes on all federal employees to return to work in person.
The Trump Administration also actually frozen the government’s purchase cards – credit cards widely used by agencies to buy supplies and equipment – setting their spending limits to $ 1. “We are trying to build space vehicles … and we cannot buy anything,” said a space scientist who requested anonymity. “It’s a really stupid shit.”
Casey Dreier, supporter of policy for planetary society, said that the anti-dei orders of the Administration led to withdrawals from contracts and activities that lead students to missions and research, cutting a precious source of new talents.
A program that has been interrupted is here to observe (H2O), which coupled the NASA mission teams with institutions with a large number of students of under -representative groups, bringing students in contact with NASA projects and mentors. The H2O coordinators had their loans cut. This “really sucks,” said the second space researcher, who volunteered as a mentor in the program. The elimination of the program threatens to cut a precious source of future scientists and devastates an innovative form of scientific education, they said.
A mental toll
Scientists say that chaos and upheaval last month had a mental tribute.
While the first doge actions and executive orders started, says the second scientist, there was panic. They and colleagues throughout the country have spent weekend and evening to “climb to know how to help”, including obtaining personal contact information from the other researchers from government institutions in the event that their addresses and -mail were interrupted.
“I’m exhausted,” said the researcher. “People don’t sleep, they are frightened and stressed.” Spatial scientists are worried about other federal employees, other researchers and those in marginalized communities, they added. The researcher noticed the irony of space scientists – “a community resolution community” – not to be able to “repair it”. “It is really difficult to look at” and they are trying to find a balance “between staying informed and jumping from a cliff”.
“I am really worried about the survival of science in America,” said the researcher.
The other researcher described similar feelings. “We feel terrible for people [at various agencies]All public employees dedicated to promoting our interests that have been treated in such a pregnant way. “
Describe a “upside -down world”, this researcher alternates between the “distracted” sentiment [and] By putting your head and please because you can’t do anything about it. “The researcher also called the elected representatives because” we do not want the United States to withdraw in all these areas “.
An “Event at the level of extinction” for space science
Other challenges may loom for the community of science of the American space, from astronomers to builders of spatial missions.
Last week, the planetary company issued a declaration in response to the media that the 2026 budget proposed by the Trump administration would have reduced the budget for the direction of the scientific mission of NASA (SMD) of 50 percent. If this happens, Dreier said, it would be an “event at the end of the extinction”.
The most in threat missions, Dreier said, are those in extensive – space operations that have passed their design objectives and continue to perform good science. These include Voyager probes; The New Horizons Spacecraft, which flew from Pluto in 2015 and continues to explore the Kuiper belt; And the Hubble Space Telescope.
Research financing is also vulnerable. About 25 percent of SMD’s budget goes to scientific research and subsidies, financing scientists and students across the country, according to Dreier.
NASA occupies about 0.4 percent of the federal discretionary balance. According to the Agency’s accounting, each dollar that spends generates three dollars in the national economy, for a total of $ 76 billion in economic impact in 2023, affecting all states and supporting over 300,000 jobs.
Dreier said that the best thing that interested citizens can do to support NASA and space science is to contact the White House and your congress delegation and to solicit the latter to refuse the cuts proposed by the Trump administration.
“Dill often and passionate,” he said. “There is nothing in the Constitution that says that we have to make space sciences. It is a choice. If we elect ourselves, he says something of every sad in our society. So we have lost a consensus in the role of public investments in science.”
This investment is essential not only economically but also because, as a species, he adds, we are curious and we ask great questions. “You need something to put on the rockets, up and out, to look for something new. If we don’t do it as a company, then it won’t happen.”
Other analysts have raised concerns that possible NASA cuts could endanger the Artemis program and its plans to bring humans back to the moon. The program has already undergone numerous overloads of costs and delays. Last December, Artemis 2 was in balance in lunar flight until 2026 and the landing of Artemis 3 until 2027.
The Artemis program is built around the rocket for guilt for the heavy launch of the space system (SLS) to bring the crews to the lunar orbit, with the Landers built by Spacex (a variant of its upper stage of spaceships) and Blue Origin. As part of NASA’s “Moon To-Mars” approach, Artemis involves international partners to constantly build technology and competence for the much more difficult and dangerous journey to Mars.
However, Elon Musk criticized Artemide and called to go to the moon “a distraction” from going to Mars. President Trump also engaged in several speeches to send the Americans to Mars. This led to the speculation that Artemis could be reduced and SLS put on the blockade.
SLS – a disposable rocket built with engines and boosters remaining from the space shuttle – has a checkered history of overloads of costs and delays. But so far, it is the only heavy lifting vehicle that has successfully returned a profession with a human evaluation with a deep space. SLS supporters claim that abandonment would now lead to further delays. The Spacex spaceship has not yet attempted a complete test flight that has returned to its launch tower, nor was it evaluated for human crews. His last two launches ended in failures before he reached the orbit.
The geopolitical implications have also raised alarms, even among the Congress Republicans, who fear that delaying Artemis – or cancel it completely – will give up the South Lunar Pole and its precious water ice program to the Chinese space program.
All in all, without significant changes to the current trajectory – which can be caused with public pressure – Dreier sees “a very sad path for NASA e [space] science.”
Christopher Cokinos frequently writes for Astronomy And it is the author of Still as bright: an illuminating story of the moon from antiquity to tomorrow.
