NASA Faces Steep Budget Cuts, One Space Meeting Has Already Been Scrapped
NASA is facing a proposed 24% budget cut. The financial uncertainty is already hitting the events sector.
The International Space Station Research and Development Conference, planned for July in Seattle, has been canceled just two months out.
'The International Space Station National Laboratory, in close consultation with NASA, has determined that the current regulatory and budgetary environment does not support holding the International Space Station Research and Development Conference in 2025,' said the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.
The event, held annually for over a decade, spotlighted research aboard the station and offered updates on NASA's work.
NASA Puts Lunar and Planetary Science Conference at Risk
The uncertainty doesn't end there. NASA has announced it will no longer fund or seek partners for the 2026 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, a fixture of the planetary science calendar.
NASA still send staff and participate but expects outside organizations to cover all costs.
The conference organizer says it intends to host the 57th event next year. Some doubt that will happen.
'The lead time it takes to find a venue, speakers, sponsors, and all that goes into it may prohibit a 2026 gathering from happening,' said Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, who hasn't missed a Lunar and Planetary Science Conference since first attending as a graduate student in 2007.
'This meeting is vital. It's the lifeblood of our community. Plus, it's an extremely important resource for early career scientists,' Byrne said.'This is the go-to meeting, and if it goes away it is an indicator of the crises we are facing.'
These cancellations follow a broader trend. NASA's Science Mission Directorate has steadily pulled back support for community-led meetings and workshops.
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