NASA’s explorations could be about to come to an end: a threat of budget cuts by the Trump Administration could put an end to years of research by this organization. More than 50 active missions and so many studies being carried out on our solar system and outer space.
NASA has always led space exploration, but now, while other powers compete to map and photograph the planets and the icy worlds beyond our limits, NASA is facing one of its greatest setbacks in decades… And of course, the scientific community has started to complain.
The future of space exploration
The White House has presented a new budget that, without beating around the bush, drastically cuts the funds allocated to planetary science. And that means one thing: NASA’s active missions, some of them in full operation and with years ahead, could be forced to end much earlier than expected.
Alan Stern, former director of the agency’s Science Missions, believes this is a step backward and likewise, they would be giving a rather significant advantage to their competitors…
What do they want to cut?
Absolutely everything. Currently, NASA’s active missions include the Juno mission, which orbits Jupiter, the spacecraft Mars Odyssey and Maven (which are on Mars), and the asteroid hunter OSIRIS-Apophis among others.
And New Horizons? Seriously?
Yes, one of the most affected by these cuts would be New Horizons, the probe that left us speechless in 2015 when it flew past Pluto and showed us its mysteries for the first time with astonishing clarity. Today, it is still alive and could keep sending data from the Kuiper Belt for more than 20 years. But with the cuts on the table, its future hangs by a thread.
Stern was very graphic when he compared it to “asking Columbus to sink his ships upon reaching America”. That is, total nonsense!
OSIRIS-Apophis
Another one in danger is OSIRIS-Apophis, whose goal is to approach the asteroid Apophis in 2029, a rock that will pass relatively close to Earth, a real interplanetary mission. The mission is part of a plan to prepare us for future space threats. Cancelling it now would be, literally, turning our back on planetary security.
Juno
Juno, the spacecraft that has captured some of the most spectacular images of Jupiter and its moons, is also on the edge. If it is shut down early, we would not only lose valuable data, but also a key tool for the work of thousands of citizen scientists who process images, analyze them, and help spread science around the world.
A blow to science…
All this not only affects telescopes and probes. It also affects the place the United States holds in the world as a leader in space exploration. While powers like China and the European Union continue investing and making progress, these cuts could leave NASA out of the game. Strategically, it is the worst strategy the federal government has taken in the field of space research.
Is there a way to avoid it?
Kip Hodges, founder of the School of Space Exploration at Arizona State University, has also spoken out against the cuts. Even so, he reminds that the presidential budget is only the first draft. Congress can still (and should) step in to prevent it.
It’s time to speak up
You don’t have to be very smart to know that we have to act now to stop this. The scientific community is calling on citizens to contact their representatives and explain why this proposal is a huge mistake. The future of key missions depends on it!
And it really seems like they are closing our eyes just when we are about to understand everything. These decisions could shut down unique projects, which do not go on standby, they are eradicated. NASA has been a leader in space exploration for decades and it must continue to be, holding its place to bring us the best-discovered information about what happens above what we can observe.