The dark age of NASA science? Analyzing the FY 2026 budget proposal

Planetary Radio: Space Exploration, Astronomy and Science

The Planetary Society

Technology, Science

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The Fiscal Year 2026 congressional budget justification for NASA could mark the beginning of a dark age for NASA science. We examine what’s at stake and how you can help advocate for NASA’s future.

Transcript

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0:00.0	A staggering new budget proposal threatens to cancel dozens of NASA science missions
0:07.5	and shrink the agency to its smallest size since the dawn of the space age. This week on planetary
0:14.8	radio. I'm Sarah Al Ahmed of the Planetary Society, with more of the human adventure across our solar
0:25.5	system and beyond. We've been bracing for this moment. The White House's full congressional
0:32.3	budget justification for NASA is here, and its implications could reshape the future of space exploration.
0:39.3	Today I'm joined by Jack Corelli, our Director of Government Relations at the Planetary Society.
0:44.3	We'll break down the White House's fiscal year 2026 budget request for NASA.
0:49.3	We discuss what it means for the future of space exploration, and how this proposal, if enacted, could mark
0:55.1	an extinction-level event for NASA science. Then we'll take a moment to shift our gaze outwards
1:00.4	with Bruce Betz, our chief scientist, as he joins for What's Up and a discussion of Tianwen-to, China's
1:06.6	ambitious new asteroid sampling mission. If you love planetary radio and want to stay informed
1:12.2	about the latest space discoveries, make sure you hit that subscribe button on your favorite
1:16.0	podcasting platform. By subscribing, you'll never miss an episode filled with new and awe-inspiring
1:21.5	ways to know the cosmos and our place within it. Last Friday, May 30th, 2025, the White House released its full FY2026 congressional budget
1:34.2	justification for NASA.
1:36.3	While this is only a proposal, not yet law, its implications are deeply troubling.
1:42.2	If enacted, this budget would cut funding for NASA's science programs by 47%.
1:47.1	It proposes eliminating or defunding dozens of missions, many of them active, successful, and beloved,
1:55.0	while dramatically shrinking the agency's workforce and ending key STEM outreach programs.
2:00.6	We've been covering this developing story for months, warning that cuts were coming.
2:05.3	Now we have the details, and the truth is even more devastating than expected.
2:10.6	To help us break it all down, I'm joined by Jack Corelli, the Planetary Society's Director of
	...

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