The Trump Administration’s Illegal Plan to Defund Carbon Tracking Satellites

We previously reported The new budget of the Trump administration and the harsh cuts delivered to NASA next year. Employee LeaveAnd since the plans should be continuously scaled or completely canceled, the morale is reported to be low.

However, this budget has not yet been approved. He sent deputies in July a letter The newly appointed NASA manager Sean Duffy told him not to apply interruptions until he passed the budget.

Now reports show that both Duffy’s orbit carbon observation (OCO) series continues to make non -final deductions, including the deterioration of two atmospheric monitoring satellites. OCO3 works with the International Space Station.

Since the operation, these two satellites have produced really worrying data. They help to measure carbon levels in the atmosphere and monitor the behavior of things like carbon sinks in the oceans. Insights are used regularly among industries, especially agriculture.

This OCO2 graph, created by NASA, proves that the agency does not spend much money on this project. Credit: NASA

Worse, OCO2 and OCO3 are already working in space. While the majority of the costs were already spent, each of them remained for many years to value more. A NASA scientist said to NPR: “Only economically, incredibly valuable data does not mean an economic meaning to terminate NASA missions.”

As a motivation, we can only imagine that this may be an extension of general hostility towards climate science and any government project that accepts it as real. The Administration has a long -term history in attacking climate science and scientists, and rejects the publishing research financed by the government. Recently, the current presidents of the Ministry of Energy A report was assigned About how the “climate consensus” is wrong.

In this vessel, these satellites can be scooping to prevent them from producing their data.

However, these enormous interruptions to NASA are specific to the proposed budget. If it passes as it is, it would reduce the national health institutes by 40% and disease control centers would lose 44% of their budgets. The National Science Foundation will be cut by 55%. Meanwhile, Other reports It shows that militarization of the area will never have any financing problems.

So, what money will NASA spend next year? An recent option is to create nuclear reactors per month that will help human colonization and more expansion to the solar system. HE The mission has not yet received a budget offer.