Keith’s note: the other day the Planetary Society just had their SaveNASAScience thing on Capitol Hill. Lotsof space advocates and actual space scientists walked the halls of Congress. Good on ya. More people should do this and not just on one certain day. Alas, neither the Planetary Society nor any of its participating organizations sent out media advisories. Tick tock. Yesterday there was a hearing with Jared Isaacman about NASA’s 2027 Presidential Budget Request. Among the most significant aspects of the budget is the second attempt in as many years by OMB and the White House to gut NASA science – of all kinds. Yet no mention was made – or coverage offered – by the Planetary Society or these groups (that I can find – please correct me on this). One day sugar-high events like the SaveNASAScience thing fade fast. 24 hours and *poof*. Yet it is important for organizations like The Planetary Society and individuals to be interacting with the day-to-day efforts, down in the weeds, where the rubber hits the road and actual budgets are crunched by those who would halt their damaging effects. This is a marathon, not a one day sprint for photo ops.
Biologist, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Biologist and Payload integrator, Editor of NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com, Lapsed climber, Explorer, Synaesthete, Former Challenger Center board member... More by Keith Cowing
Keith, During the afternoon of in-person advocacy training on Sunday before the Planetary Science Day of Action on Monday, we discussed the hearing with Jared Isaacman about NASA’s 2027 Presidential Budget Request on that Wednesday. We decided that we should suggest questions that our Congressional representatives could ask during the hearing. In our training and advocacy materials, our 2 Asks were: 1) Reject the proposed 46% cut and protect NASA Science funding at no less than the proposed authorization level of $7.48 billion with an aspirational goal to ask for $9B per recent Congressional letters. 2) Conference and pass the NASA Authorization Act of 2026. There was a Science Expo on Tuesday in the Senate Hart building where space science and hardware was shown. As participants in the Day of Action, we were asked to follow-up with thank you letters for our visits to continue the process of the building the relationship with the Congressional staff we visited on Monday. Onward, Carl Stahle