A year of historic threats, unprecedented advocacy, and a reminder that the future of space exploration is something we have to fight for.

This week on Planetary Radio.

I'm Sarah al-Ahmed of the Planetary Society, with more of the human adventure across our solar

system and beyond.

2025 was one of the most consequential years for U.S. space policy and modern history.

The White House proposed the largest single-year cut to NASA in the agency's lifetime, nearly having NASA's

science budget. Dozens of active missions were suddenly on the chopping block. Entire scientific

fields were put at risk, and the future of U.S. leadership and space science was thrown into

uncertainty. But what happened next tells a very different story.

This week, we're looking back at a year that galvanized the global space community. I'm joined by

Casey Dreyer, the Planetary Society's Chief of Space Policy, Jack Corelli, our director of

government relations, and Ari Coppell, our first ever AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow.

They'll break down what actually happened behind the scenes in Washington, D.C., how Congress responded to these threats to NASA science,

and why public advocacy played such a critical role in pushing back against these cuts.

We'll talk about the unprecedented scale of this year's advocacy efforts,

how a three-person policy team helped shift the national conversation,

and what comes next as NASA faces continuing uncertainty headed into 2026.

Plus, in our what's up segment, Bruce Betts, our chief scientist and I, are going to reflect on the impact that these kind of cuts can have in the long term.

And why we at the Planetary Society will never, never stop fighting for the future of space science and exploration.

If you love Planetary Radio and want to stay informed about the latest space discoveries and the forces that shape them.

Make sure you hit that subscribe button on your favorite podcasting platform.

By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode filled with new and awe-inspiring ways to know the cosmos and our place within it.

...