The Trump administration released their first budget blueprint today, and NASA could face a decrease in spending. As you can imagine, The Space Endeavor, strongly opposes such a near-sighted and uninformed budget design for America’s space agency. If America hopes to maintain our leadership in space and continue to push the boundaries of exploration, NASA will need a substantial budget increase. Like many other presidents, Trump has abandoned the needed investment for robust space exploration. Unlike other presidents, he has signaled the unwillingness to adequately study our home planet—fearing the results will counter his own opinions. Having said all of this, this is not the final budget. Only Congress has the power to budget, but they will likely come close to the administration’s proposal.
What did NASA lose and keep?
- Overall: 2017 Budget ($19.2 billion) → 2018 Proposal ($19.1 billion)
- $102 million loss to the Earth science budget. Most of the budget cuts come from missions attempting to gain knowledge regarding climate change.
- Elimination of NASA’s Office of Education (-$115 million), which would likely demolish NASA scholarships for students entering STEM fields and student programs associated with those fields.
- Cuts $88 million from the Robotic Refueling Mission.
- Elimination of missions to place a lander on Jupiter’s moon (Europa) and a crewed asteroid redirect flight using the Orion capsule.
- Space Launch System, Orion capsule, Commercial Crew, and International Space Station funding is relatively maintained.
Bottom line: NASA needs a budget increase—not a decrease. Both political parties have underserved NASA for many years, and it, unfortunately, continued today. America and the world prosper from the advancements and inspiration that NASA provides. Further curtailing an agency that turns dreams into reality only harms the future we hope to achieve.
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