Trump ' s NASA Budget Cancels Space Telescope and Five Earth Science Missions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) would receive $19.9 billion if Congress adopts the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget. At this level, the agency would see an increase of about 1.3 percent over the enacted FY 2017 level. Under the President’s budget the White House would cancel numerous missions and a major telescope. The budget would zero out the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope. The orbiting observatory is designed to study dark energy and explore exoplanets. NASA has struggled to keep the costs of the program below a $3.2 billion cap, but the cancellation of a project that was a major priority for astrophysicists was not expected. The administration also calls on the agency to stop contributing to the International Space Station, a 15-nation facility, when the current commitment ends in 2024. The proposal encourages NASA to explore private investment opportunities for that work, a plan that is likely to be viewed skeptically by many in Congress. The budget request also proposes ending five earth science satellite programs; including some that have climate-related functions and some that are currently in orbit, saving $133 million in FY 2019. The Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) mission designed to forecast algal blooms which are a major problem for the Great Lakes is one of the missions that would be abandoned. The budget would also eliminate the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), which observes the ear...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news