
NASA eliminates chief scientist role, other offices
NASA has cut its office of the chief scientist and its Office of Science, Policy, and Strategy, among other entities, the agency said in an internal email that Axios has viewed.
Why it matters: Eliminating these offices comes ahead of potentially deep cuts to the agency's science programs.
Katherine Calvin, a climate scientist, had the role of chief scientist. Questions have arisen about the fate of NASA science programs, particularly its Earth science work studying human-caused climate change.
Calvin has also held the dual title of NASA's senior climate adviser.
Zoom in: In the email, Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro said the cuts were part of a "phased" reduction in force, or RIF.
The reduction came in response to instructions from President Trump's executive orders and in conjunction with the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget.
Another office cut is the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility branch of the agency's Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.
Around 20 people were affected by the cuts.
NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner told Axios: "To optimize our workforce, and in compliance with an Executive Order, NASA is beginning its phased approach to a reduction in force, known as a RIF."
The spokesperson confirmed the offices that would be closed and their workforce let go.
The intrigue: The NASA office of the chief scientist is responsible for providing "independent assessment and advice to the Administrator on matters related to NASA science," and leads the development of the agency's science strategy.
The chief scientist also plays a top role in setting the agency's scientific integrity policies.
The office of science, policy and strategy is home to NASA's chief technologist and chief economist, and was created in 2021 to provide evidence-based strategic advice to agency leadership.
What they're saying: "Change of this magnitude is never easy, but our strength comes to our shared commitment to our mission and to each other," Petro wrote in the email.
In a post on X, Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics external relations lead Grant Tremblay sharply criticized the moves.
"NASA is small, but it is arguably the most legendary and globally beloved agency in American history. Its gutting has begun, & the cuts to come are so massive that we won't recognize it in a year," he wrote.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the Moon go up again
An asteroid that, until a few months ago, was believed to be a threat to Earth is increasingly looking like it could crash into the Moon in 2032. Asteroid 2024 YR4 was discovered on Dec. 27 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) telescope in Río Hurtado, Chile. Since its discovery, the asteroid has warranted international attention, jumping to the highest asteroid threat on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale. Chances Asteroid 2024 Yr4 Will Hit Moon Increase But Earth Remains In The Clear In February, new ground-based observations dropped those chances of an Earth impact enough that asteroid 2024 YR4 is no longer considered a threat to Earth. The international astronomy community continues to closely watch asteroid 2024 YR4, which is no longer visible through ground-based telescopes until 2028. In May, a team led by Andy Rivkin, with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, used the James Webb Space Telescope's (JWST) Near-Infrared Camera to hone in on 2024 YR4. JWST data, along with expert analysis from Nasa's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, have refined the asteroid's orbit, increasing the chances of a crash with the Moon on Dec. 22, 2032, from 3.8% to 4.3%. In February, the odds of a Moon impact were about 1.7%. However, NASA said if the asteroid does collide with the Moon, it will not alter its orbit. The Moon is covered in crater impacts from other space collisions. Previous observations by JWST helped determine 2024 YR4 is about 200 feet wide, or about the height of a 15-story building, Rivkin wrote in an April blog post for NASA. Asteroid 2024 YR4 has dipped behind the Sun and beyond Webb's view for article source: Odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 hitting the Moon go up again
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SpaceX readies private launch of four astronauts to International Space Station
Four crew members are set to launch Wednesday on a privately funded mission to the International Space Station. The flight, organized by the Houston-based company Axiom Space, is slated to lift off at 8 a.m. ET from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The foursome will journey into orbit in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket. NASA will broadcast live coverage of the launch beginning at 7:05 a.m. ET on NASA+. The flight was scheduled to launch Tuesday but high winds along the Florida coast forced a one-day delay. The mission, known as Ax-4, is expected to last about two weeks at the International Space Station. The mission will be led by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has already logged a record 675 days in space — more than any other American astronaut. Joining her will be pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organization; mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a Polish scientist with the European Space Agency; and mission specialist Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer from Hungary. Shukla, Uznański-Wiśniewski and Kapu will make history by becoming the first people from their countries to live and work on the International Space Station. During their two-week stay at the orbiting lab, the Ax-4 crew members will conduct a host of scientific experiments, according to NASA, including studies of muscle regeneration, how sprouts and edible microalgae grow in microgravity and how tiny aquatic organisms survive at the ISS. If the launch goes according to plan, the four astronauts will dock at the space station on Thursday at around 12:30 p.m. ET. The upcoming flight will be Axiom Space's fourth crewed mission to the International Space Station. The company's first private expedition to the ISS was in 2022 with an all-civilian crew. The price tag for the Ax-4 mission has not been publicly disclosed, but space tourists reportedly paid around $55 million per seat on previous Axiom Space expeditions. This article was originally published on


Politico
34 minutes ago
- Politico
Trump's new tactic for bypassing Congress
President Donald Trump's budget chief is trying out an audacious strategy to eliminate congressionally approved funding without lawmakers' sign-off. Russ Vought, who leads the Office of Management and Budget, has directed a dozen federal agencies to freeze upward of $30 billion in spending on a broad array of programs, including ones at NASA and the Environmental Protection Agency, write Scott Waldman and Corbin Hiar. The plan is to delay that funding until the final weeks of the fiscal year, which runs until Sept. 30. Then, the White House will ask Congress to permanently eliminate the funding through a so-called rescission request. Even if Congress rejects the request — or, more likely, doesn't vote on it at all — the White House could try to withhold the funds until the fiscal year clock resets on Oct. 1 and the cuts become permanent. If the so-called pocket rescission works, it could pave the way for the administration to retroactively cancel congressional funding. 'I think it upends a fundamental check and balance contemplated in our Constitution, and I don't understand how you subordinate Congress' power of the purse,' Joseph Carlile, former associate director at OMB in the Biden administration, told Scott and Corbin. Vought is calling the funding freeze a deferral — which first requires congressional sign-off. But instead, he has told agencies to withhold the funds before he sends the deferral package to Congress. Some agency officials were 'shocked' at the move, an administration source with direct knowledge of the plan told Scott and Corbin. In a Friday email to top officials, the National Science Foundation's budget director wrote that the spending freeze targets the agency's research and education programs. 'I imagine you will all have questions, as do we,' Caitlyn Fife wrote. 'However we are immediately focused on pulling the funds back to ensure there are no further commitments or obligations.' Also on the list are tens of millions of dollars for national park operations as well as more than $100 million in science spending at NASA, which includes climate research. The strategy is expected to draw legal pushback. That could land the administration's effort before the Supreme Court, which Vought would welcome. He has long argued that impounding some congressionally appropriated funding is constitutional, and he has said he wants the Supreme Court to validate what would be a significant weakening of congressional oversight of the federal budget. It's Tuesday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@ Today in POLITICO Energy's podcast: Debra Kahn breaks down how carbon capture has largely dodged GOP attacks and why the technology hits close to home for House Speaker Mike Johnson. hot off the press Dispatches from POLITICO's 2025 Energy Summit today in Washington: GOP megabill could undermine US energy production, Republicans warnFive takeaways from the Trump administration officials, lawmakers, former policymakers and business leaders who spoke today. Trump energy adviser slams renewables, says focus is on fossil fuelsSome other Republicans might favor investing in solar and wind energy, but 'the president is in charge,' the executive director of the National Energy Dominance Council said. Energy powerhouse to Republicans: Don't 'take renewables off the table'The head of NextEra Energy warns that building new natural gas generation and nuclear power will take too long — and wind and solar power are quicker to add now. Heinrich: 'Republicans are going to own increased energy prices'GOP candidates will pay an 'enormous political price' for their cuts to renewable energy projects, the New Mexico Democrat predicted. Power Centers EPA to propose rolling back power plant ruleEPA will move Wednesday to repeal federal limits on power plant climate pollution, write Jean Chemnick and Zack Colman. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin will announce the proposal to roll back the Biden-era rule at an event at agency headquarters, according to six people familiar with the situation. He will also propose repealing a separate regulation to curb hazardous air pollution such as mercury. Scrapping the power plant rule would effectively shelve regulations for the electricity sector, which accounts for one-quarter of U.S. greenhouse gases. California vehicle emission rules on chopping blockTrump plans to sign a trio of resolutions Thursday to revoke California's national-leading vehicle emissions standards, writes Alex Nieves. Trump's signature will finalize his administration's monthslong effort to thwart California's authority to set stricter electrification rules for passenger vehicles and commercial trucks, along with higher standards for heavy-duty diesel engines. Democrats scramble to save green creditsSenate Democrats are ramping up pressure on Republicans to try to protect swaths of their 2022 climate law as the GOP races to advance their party-line megabill, writes Kelsey Brugger. The situation has Democrats trying to influence legislation they have no intention of supporting. Whether they succeed is another question altogether. Utilities await DOE action on loansA growing chorus of consumer advocates and environmentalists is urging Trump's Energy Department to lock in billions of dollars in loan guarantees for utilities, arguing that the loans will help cut utility bills for everyday Americans as prices spike nationwide, write Brian Dabbs and Jason Plautz. The $23 billion in Biden-era loans — much of which would go to Midwest states that voted for Trump — could trigger big investments in new long-range power lines, batteries, clean energy and natural gas infrastructure. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Trump has taken a 'scorched earth' approach to climate policy by going far beyond his first-term actions, a former diplomat said Tuesday during the POLITICO Energy Summit. Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis raised doubts Tuesday the GOP could pass its megabill by its self-imposed Independence Day deadline. House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie suggested Tuesday that he is looking ahead of the fight over Republicans' mega reconciliation bill toward bipartisan legislation tackling issues like artificial intelligence. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.