Science Quickly Former NASA Leaders Are Sounding the Alarm on Budget Cuts
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Aug 6, 2025 Lee Billings, a senior editor at Scientific American who covers space and physics, joins to discuss catastrophic proposed budget cuts to NASA’s science funding. He highlights how these cuts could cripple essential climate research and space exploration, drawing concern from former NASA leaders. With historical funding at risk, Billings emphasizes the urgency of restoring support for missions critical to scientific integrity and U.S. leadership. The conversation underscores the broad implications of NASA's work on everyday life and global competitiveness.
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Historic NASA Budget Cuts Threaten Science
- NASA's science budget proposed to be cut nearly in half, lowering it to historic levels since the Apollo era.
- Such cuts threaten ongoing missions and the agency's broad role in science and national competitiveness.
NASA Chiefs Warn on Leadership Risks
- All living former NASA science chiefs united in a bipartisan letter warning the cuts risk U.S. leadership in space and science.
- They emphasize these cuts would damage the engineering workforce and waste taxpayer investments.
John Grunsfeld's Stark Warning
- John Grunsfeld, a five-time astronaut and former NASA chief scientist, strongly opposes the cuts.
- He warns the cuts may be part of a deliberate attempt to degrade critical thinking in America.