This Week in Space 164

What a wild week it's been for NASA. With drastic budget cuts looming—pending any action by Congress—then comes the sudden and unexpected pulling of Jared Isaacman for the role of NASA Administrator, with no replacement named. Then came the very public split between President Trump and Elon Musk, and a flurry of furious Twitter/X and Truth Social postings, aimed at each other with razor-sharp edges. And finally, the proposed and drastic cuts to NASA outreach and education budgets, slimming them to nearly nothing. These are strange and concerning times for America's space agency, a premier global brand and icon of peaceful American prowess. We turned to Casey Dreier, the Chief of Space Policy for The Planetary Society, who has been quite vocal in his concern, for context. These are critical times for spaceflight, so you won't want to miss this episode!

Headlines

• Trump and Musk "Bromance" Ends: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the public falling out between Donald Trump and Elon Musk, which included Trump's threats to cancel SpaceX contracts and Musk's counter-accusations regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files.
• Commercial Crew Program and Boeing's Starliner: Tariq Malik highlights the critical role of SpaceX's Dragon in NASA's commercial crew program, especially given Boeing's Starliner delays, making NASA dependent on SpaceX for U.S. independent access to space.
• Japanese ispace Lunar Lander Failure: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik discuss the second failed attempt by the Japanese company ispace to land its Hakuto-R lunar lander on the moon, losing the European Space Agency's mini-rover, called Tenacious, in the process.
• Speculation on SpaceX Nationalization: The hosts discuss online speculation, including from Steve Bannon, about the possibility of the U.S. government nationalizing SpaceX, and Elon Musk's subsequent de-escalation.
• LAUNCH Act: Rod Pyle introduces the bipartisan LAUNCH Act, aimed at streamlining licensing for commercial space companies to encourage more rocket launches with faster approvals.
• Senate Reconciliation Bill: Tariq Malik and Rod Pyle discuss Senator Ted Cruz's Senate reconciliation bill, which proposes to restore funding for the Space Launch System (SLS), increase NASA's budget by $10 billion, and fund Artemis 4 and 5, missions previously targeted for alternate architectures.
• 60th Anniversary of First U.S. Spacewalk: The hosts commemorate Ed White's historic spacewalk during the Gemini 4 mission in 1965 and discuss anecdotes and lingering questions surrounding the event.
• Definition of an Astronaut/Spacewalker Debate: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik briefly touch on the ongoing debate about what defines an "astronaut" or "spacewalker," given varying definitions and commercial spaceflight.
• Tribute to Marc Garneau: The hosts pay tribute to Marc Garneau, Canada's first astronaut, who passed away at 76, highlighting his career with the Canadian Space Agency and his later political career.

The Dark Age of NASA Science

• The Planetary Society's Mission: Space policy expert Casey Dreier provides an overview of the Planetary Society, its founding by Carl Sagan, its independence from government and corporate funding, and its projects like the Lightsail 2.
• Catastrophic NASA Budget Proposal: Casey Dreier describes the proposed NASA budget as potentially leading to a "dark age" for NASA science, with significant cuts to the overall budget and a near halving of science funding.
• Impact on Missions and Workforce: The proposed budget would cancel 19 active science missions, 18 future development projects, and lead to the firing of a third of NASA's civil service staff, resulting in the smallest workforce since 1960.
• False Economy of Cutting Operating Missions: Casey Dreier explains that cutting currently operating missions like Juno and New Horizons is a false economy, as 90% of a spacecraft's cost is incurred before launch, and operating costs are minimal compared to the scientific benefit.
• Undermining International Partnerships: The budget cuts break commitments with international partners, particularly European agencies, jeopardizing joint projects like the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, which the U.S. had previously re-committed to launching.
• Contradictory Mars Initiatives: The budget proposes an ambitious human Mars program while simultaneously canceling critical infrastructure and existing Mars missions, creating self-contradictory policy that lacks proper planning or industry input.
• Cancellation of Mars Sample Return: The budget cancels the Mars Sample Return mission due to complexity and cost, yet proposes new funding for human-rated entry, descent, and landing (EDL) at Mars demonstrations, despite the fact that adding humans does not simplify or cheapen spaceflight.
• Arbitrary Budget Cuts: The budget figures were set arbitrarily by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) director, Russ Vogt, without significant input from NASA, indicating a politically driven decision rather than a strategic one.
• Brain Drain and Impact on STEM Outreach: The proposed budget eliminates NASA's entire department of education and STEM outreach, including the popular Space Grant program, risking a brain drain and fewer opportunities for future scientists and engineers.
• Squandering NASA's Soft Power: The discussion highlights the potential for squandering NASA's immense soft power and positive global brand recognition by shutting down public affairs offices and privatizing outreach efforts, which could harm international relations and public engagement.
• Broad Opposition to the Budget: It is emphasized that opposition to the budget is widespread, including from professional scientific societies like the American Astronomical Society and American Geophysical Union and industry groups like the Commercial Space Federation.
• Threat to Artemis Consensus: The proposed budget risks undermining the bipartisan consensus that has allowed the Artemis program to survive presidential transitions, by making radical shifts without building support among lawmakers.

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• Transcripts: This Week in Space 164 Transcript

Links

• Musk vs Trump--THE BROMANCE HAS EXPERIENCED A R-U-D
• ispace strikes out
• 60th Anniversary First US Spacewalk
• Marc Garneau, First Canadian in Space, Dies at 76
• Joined by Casey Dreier of the Planetary Society
• Smallest budget since 1961
• NASA Workforce Changes Chart
• The Planetary Society reissues urgent call to reject disastrous budget proposal for NASA
• These Are All The NASA Missions That Trump Wants To Cancel
• Proposed NASA cuts to space science: “Staggering”
• NASA FY 2026 PRESIDENT'S BUDGET REQUEST SUMMARY
• Proposed NASA cuts to space science: “Staggering”
• Senate response to White House budget for NASA: Keep SLS, nix science
• After Trump pulled NASA nomination, Musk ally Jared Isaacman says stint in politics was ‘thrilling’
• Pulled NASA nomination blindsides space community: ‘Major blunder’
• Lieutenant General STEVEN L. KWAST
• SAY NO TO A DARK AGE OF NASA SCIENCE
• Advocacy Action Center