Nasa is encountering significant hurdles as budget cuts threaten to shut down several critical missions aimed at monitoring Earth’s environmental health. It’s for the first time since the Apollo Moon landings that the White House is providing a clear direction for NASA to follow. It focuses on returning to the Moon and going to Mars. This renewed purpose comes at a cost, as proposed budget reductions could lead to the cancellation of up to 40 science missions currently in development or already operational in space.
It’s no secret that President Trump is pursuing a dramatic realignment of NASA’s goals. His long term goal is to put American astronauts on the Moon first, and he hopes they will go on to plant a US flag on Mars. To facilitate these ambitious plans, NASA’s effort to send astronauts to Mars has received a substantial funding boost of $100 million. At the same time, the agency is pushing hard on its own development of a Space Launch System (SLS). This brand new rocket will help them return to the moon.
While these innovations are exciting, the consequences of budget cuts go well beyond crewed missions on the road to the Moon and Mars. NASA’s next Mars sample return and early 2020s rover missions would be in jeopardy. This could affect its important contributions to the Lunar Gateway, a multinational space station project orbiting the Moon. Right now, cutting NPRINT and other international collaborations is a possibility just because of funding cuts to the program.
Today advocates and practitioners joined together to raise serious alarm over the detrimental effects these previous budget changes are having. Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the Planetary Society, characterizes the situation as “the biggest crisis ever to face the US space programme.” His bottom line is that the proposed cuts are a radical departure from NASA’s mission. This change would further place these critical Earth observation programs on the chopping block, endangering critical indicators of climate change.
Dr. Simeon Barber, a longtime analyst in the field, points to one key drawback. That’s what he’s arguing, budget uncertainty is really what’s chilling NASA’s human space program punishingly right now. He argues that nonpartisan stability and long-term planning are necessary to achieve major success on the final frontier.
“Space science and exploration relies upon long-term planning and cooperation between government, companies, and academic institutions.” – Dr. Simeon Barber
Under these proposed budget cuts, Nasa’s capacity to predict, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change is at great risk. As explained by polar science specialist Dr. Adam Baker, these Earth observation programmes are “our canary in the coal mine.” He cautions against the dangerous prospect of turning off these early warning systems, which would be catastrophic for environmental monitoring.
“Our ability to predict the impact of climate change and mitigate against it could be drastically reduced.” – Dr. Adam Baker
The urgency around Nasa’s new direction is acute. What we liked Most importantly, Dr. Baker underscores the fact that President Trump has made lunar and Martian missions a top priority. This myopic focus drives equally or more important programs completely off the tracks.
“President Trump is repurposing Nasa for two things: to land astronauts on the Moon before the Chinese and to have astronauts plant a US flag on Mars. Everything else is secondary.” – Dr. Adam Baker
This strategic, sudden redirection has resulted in agency-wide whiplash, scrambling to make billion-dollar decisions quickly without deeply or adequately vetting varied plans. Dr. Barber laments how recent marches forward have eroded the very bedrock principles that lead to intelligent and productive space exploration.
“The astonishing exchanges, snap decisions, and U-turns we’ve witnessed in the last week undermine the very foundations that we build our ambitions on.” – Dr. Simeon Barber
As Nasa gets ready to chase its lofty lunar and Martian aspirations, experts warn that the agency’s many other duties shouldn’t fall by the wayside. Dr. Barber expressed concern that in focusing solely on lunar and Martian missions, Nasa risks “jumping out of the frying pan into the fire,” potentially compromising other vital programs.
He cautions that private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin will require additional public funding to support their development activities. If that’s the case, Congress will probably need to appropriate additional resources to foster them.
“If they lose their appetite for this endeavor and SpaceX or Blue Origin say they need more money to develop their systems, Congress will have to give it to them.” – Dr. Simeon Barber
Given all these hurdles, there is some cause for optimism for European space entrepreneurs. UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd would have lots to gain by discovering new opportunities. Europe has been keen to assume more responsibilities in its own space exploration agenda.
As Nasa navigates this precarious period marked by budget cuts and strategic shifts, experts emphasize the need for a balanced approach that accommodates both ambitious exploratory missions and essential scientific research.