Keith’s note: Since there will be no budget emerging from Congress on 30 September, on 1 October the President’s Budget Request for FY 2026 will reign – unfettered. Add in some recision for good measure. The people of NASA will want to know what is going on – from NASA – not NASAWatch. Alas, NASA OCOMM/PAO will have ~60 FTEs laid off i.e. fewer people to explain increasingly more inexplicable things. “Beginning in FY 2026, the Office of Communications will restructure the organization to an Agency or centralized structure vs Center-specific to eliminate functions not statutorily mandated, except functions the Agency deems necessary, consolidate management layers and duplicative functions, and evaluate/implement technological solutions that automate routine tasks.” Source: PBR SD-21

Keith’s note: According to a press release “Today, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) sent a letter to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Acting Administrator Sean Duffy expressing her serious concern regarding NASA’s relationship with the Department of Defense (DoD).” More below.

Keith’s note: According to a press release from Reps. Chu and Bacon: “Without an anomaly providing guidance on the NASA budget,” the Members wrote, “OMB has pledged to apply its proposed FY 2026 cuts as soon as October 1st. That would result in an unprecedented, single-year cut to NASA, particularly NASA’s space science activities, resulting in irreversible impacts on America’s space leadership and capabilities.” — “We therefore respectfully ask the Committee to include language in the CR explicitly protecting NASA funding at no less than the FY 2024/2025 enacted levels. Congress has acted before to protect essential programs under CRs, and NASA – a vital part of our economy, our national security, and our global standing – deserves the same protection,” concluded the lawmakers.”

Keith’s note: according to “No Cuts to NASA, Say Supporters & Experts at Rally Outside Headquarters”: Yesterday, NASA supporters held a rally outside the agency’s headquarters to call for a congressional budget that fully funds the agency, and to call on NASAs leadership to stop making cuts to programs before the budget has even been passed. A crowd heard from speakers ranging from NASA employees to science advocates to Representative Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10). (More below)

Keith’s note: A Congressional decision on a budget looms. Nothing has emerged other than confusion and posturing. Republicans are moving toward a vote on a short-term spending bill that would allow the Federal government to remain open when the new budget year begins on 1 October and would stretch into the middle of November. Not a solution. Just a stunt to buy some time. Democrats are simultaneously moving to resist whatever cuts the Administration wants to make and may vote to shut the government down if a negotiated compromise is not reached. Given the lack of a formal budget, the Administration will be more or less free to implement its Presidential Budget Request for FY 2026 (big cuts) plus utilize recision power to make other cuts. As such NASA would likely be facing an amplified worst case scenario in 2 weeks – something that will be hard to reverse once implemented. Both sides will blame the other for shutdowns and cuts yet both sides will be responsible. So … plan your future accordingly – if you can. Ad Astra.

Keith’s note: According to a press release from KeepTheShuttle: “the KeepTheShuttle team is pleased to report that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors just completed a unanimous and bipartisan vote opposing the proposed relocation of the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian.

Keith’s note: according to a new GAO report on NASA “Priority Open Recommendations“: “Dear Acting Administrator Duffy: The purpose of this letter is to call your personal attention to two areas based on GAO’s past work and three open priority recommendations, which are enclosed. Additionally, there are 45 other GAO open recommendations that we will continue to work with your staff to address. We are highlighting the following areas that warrant your timely and focused attention. Specifically: [More below]

Keith’s note: If the Administration really wants to win a new Space Race then these are the competitors – they were in Beijing today. They have a plan and stick to it. America – not so much. Indeed, we cut ourselves off at the knees and then complain about it.

Keith’s note: Here is prepared testimony/statements for today’s Senate Commerce hearing on “bad moons”, China, etc. It was a long hearing and most of the senators ducked out early for lunch. Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Allen Cutler, Michael Gold, Jim Bridenstine, John Shaw

Keith’s note: According to “According to “There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise: Why Congress and NASA Must Thwart China in the Space Race“: there is a hearing on 3 September at 10:00 10:30 am EDT that “is an important opportunity to chart a course that reinforces American leadership in space, strengthens NASA, fuels our growing commercial space sector, and protects our economic and national security interests in the final frontier.” OK fine. Let’s beat China in space. Why not. It should be simple: get your A-Team in place and give them the resources to compete. But wait: is gutting NASA’s scientific and engineering expertise, slashing its budgets, and continually chopping, delaying, and reconfiguring NASA’s Artemis progam the way to do this? No. Let’s see if Ted Cruz and his witnesses can find a solution. Or (more likely) watch them just point out the problems while skating around – and over – the essential and obvious things that need to be put in place. Live webcast: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/home

Keith’s note: OK so I am ‘back’. Thanks for all the kind words, support etc. Let’s get down to business. The month of September is going to be the hardest yet for NASA. Multiple budget profiles will collide with one another – in an inelastic fashion. Missions will be on hold and operate in holding pattern mode. Other missions will simply die at the hands of budgeteers. And the people of NASA – regardless of where their paycheck comes from – will still be called upon to lead humanity’s exploration of space while being stressed from multiple directions. Meanwhile, the political people inside the glass doors on the 9th floor of NASA HQ simply don’t care what happens to the agency’s workforce – or keeping them informed. As if you had not already figured that out. That said, NASA is already ‘Great In Space”. No “Again” required. Despite the political rhetoric over the years, NASA has begun humanity’s expansion into interstellar space (see image). No one else has done that. And NASA’s lead will be rather hard to eclipse. Anyway – here is my top ten take on things to be aware of in September . Warning – it is not pretty – but it is also not without hope. [More below]

Keith’s note: according to a press release “GESTA Calls for Immediate Intervention to Halt Closure of the NASA Goddard Visitor Center”: “IFPTE Local 29 (aka, GESTA), representing Federal employees at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center is calling on Congressional leaders, local government officials, economic stakeholders, and the public to take immediate action to stop the proposed closure of the NASA Goddard Visitor Center — a decision that, if enacted, would inflict irreparable harm on the community, the regional economy, and NASA’s public mission.” More below

Keith’s note: Last week two internal NASA directives dropped – except NASA has yet to officially release them: NASA Commercial LEO Space Stations Acquisition Strategy and Directive on Fission Surface Power (FSP) Development.

• From what I have managed to piece together these things were pitched in an end run directly to Sean Duffy – outside of the usual process of surfacing such things to the Administrator – especially in Directive form ready for signature. Both directives were signed on the same day – surprising everyone. Associate Administrators and Center Directors were not alerted or asked for comment. And in the case of the CLD directive, industry was left in the dark and they are not happy.
• Meanwhile, Congress is wondering what passes for planning and transparency at NASA given that the agency is actually adhering to the PBR being the scenes – but saying that they are adhering to Congressional budget intentions when pressed for public content. NASA cant have it both ways.
• Both directives built upon some ideas that had been developed over the past several years and have been kicking around NASA in one form or another. Chief of Staff Brian Hughes has zero experience with spaceflight engineering – so he leans heavily on a couple of his favorite people for ad hoc Rocket Science 101 to find exciting things to pass on to Duffy.
• Duffy is a part timer. Hughes is a gate keeper. NASA needs a real, full time leader – now.

Keith’s note: WARN notices were sent to some Human Space Flight Technical Integration Contract (HSFTIC) employees. Integrated Mission Operations Contract (IMOC) folks received generic 60 day WARN notices last week and there will be individual layoff notices sent out at the beginning of September to the specific folks who are being laid off. This is all being done according to the President’s Budget Request (PBR) for FY 2026 – even though NASA says that they are going to follow direction from Congress. This all comes to a head in September when Congressional budget stances, the PBR, threats of rescissions, and all of the other political nonsense that infects Washington, collides in advance of the end of FY 2025 on 30 September.

Keith’s note: According to an OpEd by House Science Committee Chair Babin: “Here’s the problem: Although Congress is working to ensure NASA has what it needs, the Office of Management and Budget’s proposed budget doesn’t align with Mr. Trump’s directives. To be blunt: OMB needs to start rowing in the same direction. We don’t have time for budget games.”

Keith’s note: House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chair Brian Babin and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Chair Ted Cruz sent a letter to the Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy urging “swift implementation of the nearly $10 billion investment they championed through the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). They requested a detailed spending plan from NASA that aligns with congressional intent and maintains U.S. leadership over China in the escalating space race.” Full letter

Keith’s note: I was just on Bloomberg TV for the SpaceX Crew 11 launch which was scrubbed due to weather. I stayed on and talked about NASA layoffs, budget issues, and Ted Cruz’s support for the International Space Station – and moving the Space Shuttle to Texas. Let’s see what happens tomorrow. [Audio]

Keith’s note: There is a meeting next week regarding Landsat: Sustainable Land Imaging Mission Alternatives Analysis Team Industry. The meeting is looking for the cheapest way to do the least with Landsat as a result of the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request. The PBR seeks to cancel Landsat missions and descope Earth science budgets at NASA. One small problem: NASA is acting as if the PBR is the actual budget contrary to what Congress is doing. Congress has already complained about this as it was described in last month’s NASA Town Hall Meeting. But NASA is going ahead with this anyway. (More below)

Keith’s note: This letter from Earth scientists has also been published in Science magazine and is reprinted here with the permission of the authors [Science, 389, 357-358. doi:10.1126/science.adz6100]: “In May, the US administration proposed budget cuts to NASA, including a more than 50% decrease in funding for the agency’s Earth Science Division (ESD) (1), the mission of which is to gather knowledge about Earth through space-based observation and other tools (2).