WG3K > ANS 23.06.25 23:45z 40 Lines 1907 Bytes #190 (0) @ AMSAT BID : ANS173.4 Read: GUEST Subj: NASA Science Missions Could Be Cut In 2026 Budget Path: ED1ZAC<ED1ZAC<CX2SA<ZL2BAU<WG3K Sent: 250623/2340Z 19048@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24 President Donald Trumps fiscal 2026 budget request, if approved by Congress, would kill many of NASAs plans for robotic exploration of the solar system. Gone, too, would be multiple space-based missions to study Earth, the sun and the rest of the universe. Among the planets that would get less attention are Venus, Mars and Jupiter. But the planet facing the biggest drop in scrutiny from space is our own. The Trump budget proposal calls for reducing Earth science funding by 53 percent. Also spiked: a mission that would take a close look at Apophis, a jumbo asteroid that will pass just 20,000 miles from Earth closer than geosynchronous satellites on April 13, 2029. The White House Office of Management and Budget said in its request that NASAs current spending of more than $7 billion a year on nearly 100 science missions is “unsustainable.” The Planetary Society, a nonprofit advocacy group for space science, estimates that 41 current or planned missions, roughly a third of NASAs portfolio, would be terminated if the Trump budget is approved as written. Trumps proposals would hammer the NASA workforce, triggering the loss of thousands of civil service and contractor positions. Congress has the power of the purse, however, and could save missions targeted for termination. The Senate Commerce, Space and Transportation Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), is pushing to protect much of NASAs funding but is primarily concerned with saving existing elements of the agencys Artemis moon program. On Thursday, the committee proposed restoring billions of dollars to a variety of NASA projects. The full article, with a descriptive list of projects that might be cut, may be found at https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2025/06/08/nasa-budget-voyager-space/ (possible pay wall). [ANS thanks *The Washington Post* for the above information]
Read previous mail | Read next mail