NASA on Pause

Science and the shutdown and a lonely birthday for NASA, PBS News Hour
“If a satellite mission has not yet been launched, work will generally cease on that project,” NASA’s shutdown plan reads. “The extent of support necessary and the time needed to safely cease project activities will depend on whether any of the activities are of a hazardous nature (e.g., parts of the satellite may need to be cooled).” Work preparing for the Mars MAVEN mission, which was slated for a Nov. 18 launch, for example, has stopped, and could delay the craft’s planned mission to Mars.”
NASA Hit by Government Shutdown, National Geographic
“Elsewhere at the space agency, the effects of the shutdown will become worse over time, says Keith Cowing of NASA Watch: “If they only lose a few days, then we lose a week of work, but over time there will be a satellite that has a problem or a design change that doesn’t get fixed in time and we will see real impacts.”
Government shutdown: NASA turns 55 – and turns out the lights, Christian Science Monitor
“Due to government shutdown, we will not be posting or responding from this account. Farewell, humans. Sort it out yourselves,” tweeted the operators of NASA’s Voyager 2’s Twitter account, last night. Meanwhile, the agency’s planning for future missions – where to land the next mission on Mars; which asteroid to lasso; and what to do with a future lander on Europe – has gone quiet. The shutdown will put some 97 percent of NASA’s staffers on un-paid leave: just 549 of the agency’s employees are expected to work, out of its some 18,250 staffers.”