I’m writing and recording this on November 14. It is now 9 days after the US elections and we now know that the Republicans now control all three branches of the US government. Historically, Republican controlled administrations have been good for science and have pushed to see big things accomplished. This year, things are more unclear. The president-elect is creating a new Department of Governmental Efficiency led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, with Musk calling to cut $2 Trillion or roughly 30% from the US Federal Budget. We have already discussed the devastation the 2023 Fiscal Responsibility Act caused to NASA and NSF’s science budgets, and that act only called for a 3% cut to the Federal government. If, the 30% cuts are distributed uniformly, I foresee research institutes that are funded by federal grants to either die or transform into something radically different. If, as may be the case, entire segments of the government are cut, NASA and NSF may remain safe but at a cost I’m not sure I want to see society pay. We are seeing schools get notices to expect the Department of Education to be defunded, and if the Department of Education goes away it is unclear what will happen to programs such as Federal Student Loans and Perkins grants for college, to the Federal school lunch program, and to the Federal funds that support schools in impoverished areas where property taxes can’t provide the same kind of education wealthy communities can easily afford. In the long term, getting rid of the department of education will be far more devastating to science in the US than cutting funding for existing scientists to maintain their programs.
If I sound a bit dark, it’s because yesterday the Jet Propulsion Lab laid off 325 employees, including many scientists and engineers I know and have worked with for years. This is JPL’s second major layoff and it comes in the face of not seeing NASA and thus JPL receive the funding needed to maintain current programs. If you have ever attended a museum event or local astronomy event with volunteers from NASA, you probably were learning from NASA Solar System Ambassadors. That program is now dead. I’m still not sure what else has been canceled… but this is only the beginning. The number of astronomers and planetary scientists in the US is measured in the 1000s, and these cuts mean every one one of us has friends out of work and looking to reinvent themselves in field other than science.
This is where we are and seeing what is happening now and what could be coming in the near future has all of us experiencing sleepless nights.
But those of us who are still here will keep working, and keep looking for ways to extend what we know about our universe. We will keep applying for grants and looking for ways to stretch every dollar we have absolutely as far as possible. And here at EVSN, we will share the science that is resulting from this work.
And that science is full of fire and ice so that will be our theme for the week as we discuss volcanoes, near, far, and around other stars, look at ice across time and space, and more. We also have updates on rocket companies breaking federal regulations, and tales from the launch pad.