Universe Today
With the 2016 election now finished and Donald Trump confirmed as the president-elect of the United States, there are naturally some concerns about what this could means for the future of NASA. Given the administration's commitment to Earth science, and its plans for crewed missions to near-Earth Orbit and Mars, there is understandably some worry that the budget environment might be changing soon.
At this juncture, it is not quite clear how a Trump presidency will affect NASA's mandate for space exploration and scientific research. But between statements made by the president-elect in the past, and his stances on issues like climate change, it seems clear that funding for certain types of research could be threatened. But there is also reason to believe that larger exploration programs might be unaffected.
Back in
September
, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed the
NASA Transition Authorization Act of 2016
. This bill granted $19.5 billion in funding for NASA for fiscal year 2017, thus ensuring that NASA's proposed activities would not be affected by the transition in power. Central to this bill was the continued funding of operations that NASA considered to be central to its "
Journey to Mars
".
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Looking forward, it is unclear how the new administration will affect NASA's plans for space exploration. Credit: NASA/AESP[/caption]
Beyond FY 2017, though, the picture is unclear. When it comes to things like NASA's Earth Science program, the administration of a president that denies the existence of Climate Change is expected to mean budget cuts. For instance,
back in May
, Trump laid out his vision for an energy policy. Central to this was a focus on oil, natural gas and coal, the cancellation of the
Paris Agreement
, and the cessations of all payments to the
UN Green Climate Fund
.
This could signal a possible reverse of policies initiated by the Obama administration, which increased funding for Earth science research by about
50 percent
. And as NASA indicated in a report issued on Nov. 2nd by the Office of the Inspect General - titled "
NASA's Earth Science Mission Portfolio
" - this has resulted in some very favorable developments.
Foremost among these has been the increased in the number of products delivered to users by NASA, going from 8.14 million in 2000 to 1.42 billion in 2015. In other words, usage of NASA resources has increased by a factor of 175, and in the space of just 15 years (much of that in the last 8). Another major benefit has been the chance for collaboration and lucrative partnerships. From the report:
[caption id="attachment_131875" align="aligncenter" width="580"]
Much of NASA's research into Climate Change takes place through the Earth Science division of the Mission Directorate. Credit: NASA
[/caption]
Unfortunately, it has been this same increase in funding that prompted Congressional Republicans, in the name of fiscal responsibility, to demand changes and new standards. These sentiments were voiced back in March of 2015 during NASA's budget request for 2016. As Senator Ted Cruz - currently one of the Trump campaign's backers -
said at the time
:
While Trump himself has little to say about space during his long campaign, his team did manage to recruit Robert Walker - a former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania - this past October to draft a policy for them. In an op-ed to
SpaceNews
in late October, he echoed Cruz's sentiments about cutting back on Earth sciences to focus on space exploration:
[caption id="attachment_121502" align="aligncenter" width="580"]
NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s. Credit: NASA/JPL
[/caption]
Next, there is the issue of NASA's long-term goals, which (as noted) seem more secure for the time being. In May of 2016, Trump was issued the
Aerospace America Questionnaire
- a series of ten questions issued by NASA to determine the stances of the candidates on space exploration. On the subject of a crewed mission to Mars in the future, Trump's campaign indicated that things would depend upon the state of the country's economy:
"
However, they also professed an admiration for NASA and a commitment to its overall goal:
From all of this, a general picture of what NASA's budget environment will look like in the near future begins to emerge. In all likelihood, the Earth Science division (and other parts of NASA) are likely to find their budgets being scrutinized based on newly-developed criteria. Essentially, unless it benefits space exploration and research beyond Earth, it's not likely to see continued funding.
[caption id="attachment_131876" align="aligncenter" width="580"]
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. Credit: NASA
[/caption]
But regardless of the results of the election, it appears at this juncture that NASA is looking forward with cautious optimism. Addressing the future, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden issued an internal memo on Wednesday, Nov. 9th. Titled "
Reaching for New Heights in 2017 and Beyond
", Bolden expressed positive thoughts about the transition of power and what it would mean:
For NASA's sake, I hope Bolden's words prove to be prophetic. For no matter who holds of the office of the President of the United States, the American people - and indeed, all the world's people - depend upon the continued efforts of NASA. As the leader in space exploration, their presence is essential to humanity's return to space!
Further Reading: Planetary Society
