Weathering budget cuts: Lessons from NASA

2026/01/08 by Janet Vertesi · 1 voice
Medicine · Physics and Astronomy · Social Sciences · #International Science and Diplomacy #Science, Research, and Medicine #Space exploration and regulation

paper · doi:10.1126/science.aed3920

openalex publication_date 2026/01/08 · openalex created_date 2026/01/09 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23

Abstract

The current uncertainty and cuts to science funding affect universities, research facilities, and laboratories across the United States, but this situation is not unprecedented. Under pressure to fund the Vietnam War, President Nixon slashed the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) budget, and the deep cuts to planetary science altered the course of exploration. Lessons learned from studying this government-funded boom-and-bust field over the past half century can help all scientific institutions weather this storm.

Discussions

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