Posted on 02/13/2018 2:26:18 AM PST by Simon Green
The Trump administration's budget request for fiscal year 2019 calls for work on a major NASA space observatory and five Earth-science missions to be canceled. NASA's Office of Education would also be terminated.
The Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), which would have used an existing spy satellite retired from the National Reconnaissance Office, would no longer receive funding. According to the White House's 2019 budget request, released today (Feb. 12), WFIRST would have required a significant funding increase. Instead, the budget proposal requests that the funding go to smaller astrophysics missions.
The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite; the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 3 (OCO-3) experiment; the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) Pathfinder; the Radiation Budget Instrument (RBI), which was canceled in January; and the Earth-viewing instruments of the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission would also be canceled under the Trump administration's budget proposal. The five climate missions were also nixed in the administration's 2018 budget request.
WFIRST would have given scientists 100 times the field of view of the Hubble Space Telescope in infrared light, letting scientists investigate dark energy, dark matter, the evolution of the universe and distant planets around other stars. NASA was in the middle of a review for WFIRST after an independent analysis found that the space telescope could cost at least $3.6 billion; NASA was trying to reduce the cost to $3.2 billion.
"The Budget redirects funding from [WFIRST] to completed research including smaller, principal-investigator-led astrophysics missions," White House officials wrote in the budget document. "These missions have a history of providing high scientific impact while training the next generation of scientists and engineers." The $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope, which will also survey the universe's infrared light but with a narrower field of view, still receives funding under the budget request, they added.
I’m “okay with it”. Now, let’s go set up shop on the moon.
Every business goes through phases where they need to identify key projects and reassess other goals.
While I hate seeing our Space budget cut, it’s necessary. And my guess is that it is just the start.
I think NASA needs a complete makeover and revisit their mission. Sure, save some money from the bloated bureaucracy but for savings, how about other areas of funding? Like money sent overseas as a starter.
How about eliminating the office of globull warming. Failing that, how about just defunding Gavin Schmidt?
Is the proposed budget an increase or a decrease from the previous year?
Maybe if they didn’t dump so much money into the SLS (AKA Space Porky) they could afford some of these smaller things.
NASA got political.
Mess with the bull, you get the horns.
Maybe NASA should have a real mission instead of “muslim outreach”.
Looks like NASA’s ‘Muslim Outreach’ got the ax.
MAGA baby.
In fairness, I would certainly describe science missions such as planetary exploration and space telescopes as "real" missions.
Almost all of the cuts sound like they are happening to the “climate change” gravy train. Good.
As far as WFIRST, being given a telescope and saying you still need billions to do anything with it is just asking to be popped in the mouth.
Proposed budget is an increase of $320 Million, up 1.5%
If NASA can’t afford to do all these things, maybe they are spending their money on the wrong stuff.
Meh. Just have Space X do it...
Nasa should come up with solutions to a what if scenario of a doomsday hit by a celestial object and what they could possibly use against it.
I would appreciate an impartial update on Webb and a comparison between Webb and waitstaff focused on Webb style potential budget overruns...
I believe that, technically, people cannot “own” part of the Moon and exploit its resources for private gain. But I would say “screw that” and invite US companies to go up their, stake their claims and make billions of dollars in a new age of exploring. No need for the government to be involved.
It’s not like budgets ever pass. All the “hawks” are probably already calling it DOA
Awww. NASA isn’t getting to squander quite as much of our money on boondoggles as it wanted. All the space kadets can have a good cry, and then (never happen) voluntarily cough up funds for NASA. Now if we could just effect come cuts to welfare, medicaid, etc. then it might mean
something.
Do we have the brain power to make these projects worth more than keeping theoretical scientists happy as old theories fall for newer and more complicated and less understandable theories? Use the money for these projects on the wall and security for a few years and see if they can come up with theories to explain what they have already observed.
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