287 current and former NASA employees, including astronauts, are expressing concern and have issued a strong warning. In an open letter of protest, they state that the Trump administration’s policies undermine flight safety and are reminiscent of the darkest days of the space agency.
The letter, named the Voyager Declaration in honor of the legendary interstellar probes, is addressed to NASA’s acting administrator Sean Duffy. The signatories, including 156 anonymous individuals who fear political reprisals, assert: “Over the past six months, rapid and wasteful changes have undermined our mission and led to disastrous consequences for NASA personnel.” Main argument: “Politics is putting people’s safety at risk.”
The authors draw a terrible parallel with the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003, when seven astronauts died while returning from orbit. “The culture of silence today is a dangerous step back from the lessons of Columbia,” the letter states. The hint is clear: ignoring problems can lead to new tragedies.
The document was submitted as an “official dissent,” a procedure introduced after the Columbia and Challenger accidents (1986).
Scale of reductions and their impact
Protesters point to a specific threat: radical budget cuts. The Trump administration proposes to reduce:
- NASA’s science budget by almost half – $7.3 billion.
- The agency’s total budget by almost a quarter – $18.8 billion.
Grants and contracts worth $118 million have already been canceled. Layoffs or forced resignations are planned for approximately 2,700 employees, which is 15% of the workforce.
“These arbitrary cuts were made in defiance of Congress’ decisions, and their consequences are dire,” the authors of the letter note.
They are outraged by the pressure on the agency to work under conditions of a reduced budget that has not yet been approved.
Call to action
The signatories urge Sean Duffy not to implement the White House’s proposals in advance: legally, NASA is not required to do so until Congress approves the budget. The only hope is that Congress will reverse some of the cuts.
It is significant that the letter is dedicated to the memory of NASA astronauts who died in the line of duty. This is a reminder of the high price of mistakes and carelessness regarding safety in the space industry.
Earlier, we reported on how the Discovery shuttle caused a dispute between museums.
According to Nature
