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Ex-NASA Chief Sounds Alarm Over Space Agency's Future
Ex-NASA Chief Sounds Alarm Over Space Agency's Future

Newsweek

time4 days ago

  • Politics
  • Newsweek

Ex-NASA Chief Sounds Alarm Over Space Agency's Future

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The former head of NASA has said that the space agency is "being savaged," in response to proposed cuts by the Trump administration. Bill Nelson, NASA administrator from 2021 to 2025, said: "If they continue on the path that they're on, it will be a crippled agency." NASA has been working on plans to bring astronauts back to the moon for the first time since 1972 with the Artemis program, and to build the Lunar Gateway space station on the moon for long-term lunar scientific exploration. These plans are now on hold amid a proposed Republican budget that would cut as much as half of NASA's science funding. President Donald Trump's budget request to NASA, which must be debated by Congress before October 1, called for the agency to "terminate unaffordable missions," cut "woke" education programs and implement a "more sustainable, cost-effective approach to lunar exploration." Overall, the budget proposes reducing the agency's annual budget from $24.9 billion to $18.8 billion. Newsweek has contacted NASA for comment via email outside of working hours. The Mary W. Jackson headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. The Mary W. Jackson headquarters of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo Why It Matters The Trump administration says that the proposed reductions are necessary to rein in excessive spending, eliminate underperforming projects, and reorient NASA toward more cost-efficient private partnerships. The White House has highlighted examples such as the $4 billion-per-launch cost of the Space Launch System, NASA's expendable heavy-lift rocket. Critics say the proposed budget cuts threaten American progress in space and in scientific endeavor more broadly. In parallel, the administration has proposed eliminating climate satellite projects. Previous scientific cuts by the Trump administration include Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. firing vaccine advisers from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a decrease in grants for scientific research. What To Know Cuts to NASA are creating "chaos" and will likely have "significant impacts to our leadership in space," a Democratic House staffer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Sunday Times, a U.K. newspaper. NASA's Artemis project was launched during the first Trump administration and has already cost more than $26 billion for the new Space Launch System. Cutting NASA's budget would also heavily impact space science across Europe, as NASA has partnerships with the European Space Agency (ESA), which was collaborating with NASA and Airbus to build part of the new rockets to the moon and a Gateway space station. This collaboration, which has already cost ESA €840 million in Airbus payments and another €650 million in future Airbus contracts, was supposed to result in three European astronauts going on the new lunar mission. The future of this plan is uncertain. Elon Musk's space exploration company SpaceX still works with NASA, including on lunar exploration. However, he left the federal government and has criticized budget cuts amid a rift with Trump. The future of SpaceX's partnership with NASA is now also uncertain. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump wrote on Truth Social in June. What People Are Saying Bill Nelson told reporters at a POLITICO summit: "That's like eating our seed corn. We're not going to have anything to plant next year in the quest of trying to understand what is part of the statutes for NASA, which is to search for life, and therefore to understand who we are, what we are, and where we are." Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro in a statement in May: "This proposal includes investments to simultaneously pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars while still prioritizing critical science and technology research. I appreciate the President's continued support for NASA's mission and look forward to working closely with the administration and Congress to ensure we continue making progress toward achieving the impossible." The White House in a statement in May: "The Budget phases out the grossly expensive and delayed Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after three flights. SLS alone costs $4 billion per launch and is 140 percent over budget. The Budget funds a program to replace SLS and Orion flights to the Moon with more cost-effective commercial systems that would support more ambitious subsequent lunar missions." Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA director of human and robotic exploration, quoted in The Sunday Times: "We want to work on reducing the risks of the projects where we are dependent on US decisions. We want to increase the projects which are done in autonomy, where we are the masters of the decisions we take." What Happens Next ESA leaders are looking to work on projects that do not rely on American money or American political decision-makers, turning to work with India and Japan, and possibly even China, instead. Senator Ted Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee which oversees NASA's budget, has supported Artemis in the past, so it is not certain that NASA's budget will be cut by as much as the Trump administration's proposal by the October 1 deadline.

In Conversation With PM Modi, Shubhanshu Shukla Shares How Life Is On ISS
In Conversation With PM Modi, Shubhanshu Shukla Shares How Life Is On ISS

NDTV

time4 days ago

  • Science
  • NDTV

In Conversation With PM Modi, Shubhanshu Shukla Shares How Life Is On ISS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday spoke to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force - the man who created history earlier this week by becoming the first Indian to enter the International Space Station (ISS). "Today, you are away from our motherland, but you are the closest to the hearts of naam mein bhi shubh hai aur aapki yatra naye yug ka shubharambh bhi hai," PM Modi told the Indian astronaut. Answering the Prime Minister, the astronaut said it is "not my journey alone but also our country's". Mr Shukla and three other astronauts entered the orbital laboratory at ISS to warm hugs and handshakes after the docking of their spacecraft at the end of a 28-hour journey around the Earth. "Jai Hind Bharat" was the message from Mr Shukla, 39, after entering the ISS. He is also the second Indian to go to space in 41 years and the first since Rakesh Sharma's eight-day sojourn in 1984. "With your love and blessings, I have reached the International Space Station. It looks easy to stand here, but my head is a little heavy, facing some difficulty; but these are minor issues," he said in brief remarks in Hindi at the formal welcome ceremony at the ISS. "We will get used to it. This is the first step of this journey," he added. A live video link from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) showed the four-member multi-nation crew emerging from the Dragon spacecraft named 'Grace', less than two hours after the sequence of docking with the ISS was completed at 4.15 pm IST. The spacecraft was put into a low-earth orbit by SpaceX's Falcon rocket that was launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 12.01 pm on Wednesday. The seven-member space station crew, who are part of Expedition 73, welcomed Axiom-4 mission commander Peggy Whitson, as she floated into the station soon after the hatch-opening procedures were completed at 5:44 pm. Whitson, a veteran astronaut, floated into the space station at 5:53 pm followed by Mr Shukla, the mission pilot, with Polish engineer Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, a mission specialist and a European Space Agency project astronaut, and Hungary's Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer and the mission specialist, close behind. Ms Whitson handed out astronaut pins to Mr Shukla, Wisniewski and Kapu after they marked their maiden voyage to space. "I am astronaut 634. It is a privilege to be here," Mr Shukla said. Mr Shukla said over the next 14 days, he and the other astronauts will conduct scientific experiments and interact with people on Earth. "This is also a phase of India's space journey. I will keep talking to you. Let us make this journey exciting. I am carrying the tiranga and I am carrying all of you with me. The next 14 days will be exciting," he said. As the Dragon spacecraft circled the Earth before the completion of docking with the ISS, Mr Shukla also shared his experience via a videolink from the capsule to say he was learning to live in microgravity conditions "like a baby" and it was an amazing experience to float in vacuum.

From Orbiter Columbia to Discovery: Here are the top 5 biggest space shuttles
From Orbiter Columbia to Discovery: Here are the top 5 biggest space shuttles

Indian Express

time5 days ago

  • Science
  • Indian Express

From Orbiter Columbia to Discovery: Here are the top 5 biggest space shuttles

The Space Shuttle, as National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) describes, represented an 'entirely new generation of space vehicle,' the world's first reusable spacecraft, which were 'launched like a rocket, maneuvered in Earth's orbit like a spacecraft and landed like an airplane.' There are about three Space Shuttle orbiters currently in operation – Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour, which are all designed to fly at least 100 missions, NASA stated on its website. As India takes a step ahead in its space program, with Shubhanshu Shukla heading to the International Space Station (ISS) under the Axiom-4 mission this week, we take a look at the top five biggest space shuttles operated from all corners of the world: Orbiter Enterprise An early Space Shuttle Orbiter, the Enterprise, never flew in space but was 'used for approach and landing tests at the Dryden Flight Research Center and several launch pad studies in the late 1970s,' according to the website. Orbiter Columbia America's first reusable Space Shuttle, Columbia was launched for the first time with NASA astronauts John Young and Bob Crippen aboard on April 12, 1981. The space shuttle continued the heritage of intrepid exploration, becoming one of groundbreaking scientific research and notable 'firsts' in space flight, as per NASA. Commander John Young even called the flight 'something just short of a miracle.' It was delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Florida, in March 1979. One of its crowning moments remain the deployment of the gleaming Chandra X-ray Observatory in July 1999, which specialized in viewing deep space objects and finding the answers to astronomy's most fundamental questions. However, it had some limitations. The heaviest of NASA's orbiters, Columbia weighed too much and lacked the necessary equipment to assist with the assembly of the ISS. Moreover, Columbia and its crew were tragically lost during STS-107 in 2003 after a small portion of foam broke away from the external fuel tank and hit the orbiter's left wing, NASA noted. The consequential damage created a hole in the wing's leading edge, causing the vehicle to break apart during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. Orbiter Challenger Next in line is the Orbiter Challenger, which was built to serve as a test vehicle for the Space Shuttle program. Being the second orbiter to join NASA's Space Shuttle fleet, OV-099 arrived at NASA's KSC in Florida in July 1982, bearing the name 'Challenger.' Launched on her maiden voyage on April 4, 1983, Challenger saw the deployment of the first satellite in the Tracking and Data Relay System constellation, besides other scientific experiments and satellite deployments. Challenger's service to America's space program ended in tragedy on January 28, 1986 when just 73 seconds into the mission STS 51-L, a booster failure caused an explosion that resulted in the loss of seven astronauts, as well as the vehicle, the official website of NASA noted. Orbiter Discovery Discovery (OV-103) was NASA's third space shuttle orbiter to join the fleet, arriving for the first time at the KSC in Florida in November 1983. Since its inaugural flight in 1984, Discovery has completed more than 30 successful missions, surpassing the number of flights made by any other orbiter in NASA's fleet. It has carried 'satellites aloft, ferried modules and crew to the International Space Station, and provided the setting for countless scientific experiments,' as the NASA states. This Orbiter clearly benefited from the lessons learned during the construction and testing of Enterprise, Columbia and Challenger, such that at rollout, its weight was about 6,870 pounds less than Columbia. Orbiter Atlantis Another Orbiter which learnt its lessons from Enterprise, Columbia and Challenger was the Atlantis (OV-104), whose construction was completed in about half the time in man-hours spent on Columbia. Nearly 3.5 tons lighter than Columbia, the orbiter arrived at NASA's KSC on April 9, 1985, NASA mentioned. Atlantis served as the on-orbit launch site for various noteworthy spacecraft, including planetary probes Magellan and Galileo, as well as pioneered the Shuttle-Mir missions, flying the first seven missions to dock with the Russian space station, NASA highlighted. It has also delivered several vital components to the ISS in the recent years. Orbiter Endeavour Authorized as a replacement for the Space Shuttle orbiter Challenger, Endeavour (OV-105) arrived at the KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility on May 7, 1991. One of the space shuttle's primary assignments was to capture INTELSAT VI, an orbiting, but non-functioning, communications satellite, and replace its rocket motor. After numerous attempts, the satellite was finally captured for repair. 'An unprecedented three-person spacewalk took place after the procedure was evaluated by the astronauts and ground team,' NASA states. The crew onboard also conducted medical tests assessing the human body's performance in microgravity. It was the first time when four spacewalks were conducted on a Space Shuttle mission, with one of them being the longest in space history, lasting more than eight hours. NASA underlines, 'OV-105 became the first Space Shuttle orbiter to use a drag chute during a landing — only one of many technical improvements made to Endeavour.'

A bit heavy-headed, but excited: Shubhanshu Shukla's 1st message from ISS
A bit heavy-headed, but excited: Shubhanshu Shukla's 1st message from ISS

Business Standard

time6 days ago

  • Science
  • Business Standard

A bit heavy-headed, but excited: Shubhanshu Shukla's 1st message from ISS

His statement came after he, along with the other crew members, entered the International Space Station (ISS) following the successful docking of their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft Rahul Goreja New Delhi After entering the International Space Station (ISS), Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on Thursday said he was feeling a little heavy-headed, but that it did not matter because the excitement of the mission was greater. Speaking in Hindi, Gp Capt Shukla said, 'A small message for my beloved fellow Indians, with your love and blessings, I have reached the International Space Station. It might seem easy, but our heads feel a little heavy, though none of that matters.' 'We'll get used to it in a few days. In the coming days, we will conduct many scientific experiments. I will continue to talk to you all. I am very excited, and I wear my country's flag on my shoulders with pride. I believe all of you are equally excited about this journey. Thank you. Jai Hind. Jai Bharat,' he added, as quoted by news agency PTI. Gp Capt Shukla's crew includes former National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) astronaut Peggy Whitson, European Space Agency astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. What will he do at the ISS? As part of the mission, Shukla will spend 14 days aboard the ISS, where he will conduct a series of scientific experiments focused on food and nutrition in microgravity. The experiments aim to advance space nutrition and support the development of self-sustaining life support systems essential for long-duration space exploration. Shukla's research is part of a collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro), the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Nasa.

Axiom-4: With hugs and cheers, Shubhanshu Shukla floats in ISS- first visuals
Axiom-4: With hugs and cheers, Shubhanshu Shukla floats in ISS- first visuals

Time of India

time6 days ago

  • Science
  • Time of India

Axiom-4: With hugs and cheers, Shubhanshu Shukla floats in ISS- first visuals

NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla , were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. — ANI (@ANI) The newly launched spacecraft — the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace — successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean. "At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( Nasa ) announced in a statement. Following the spacecraft's soft docking, a secure connection — known as hard-mating — was established as 12 sets of hooks locked the two orbiting structures together, enabling communication and power links to be activated. It took around two hours to complete the hatch-opening procedures before the astronauts could enter the space station. Shubhanshu Shukla has become the second Indian in space, following Rakesh Sharma's mission in 1984. Joining him on the Axiom-4 mission are Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, the second Polish astronaut since 1978, and Tibor Kapu, the second Hungarian to fly to space after a 45-year gap. The crew launched from Nasa's Kennedy Space Centre on Wednesday en route to the International Space Station.

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