NASA started firing on a large scale before the time limit of Trump team
Top advisors in NASA’s main scientific office are among the first people to go amid government-wide efforts.
Mary W. Jackson is standing in a day in the capital of the country in front of the Jackson NASA headquarters building.
John M. Chase/Getty Images
NASA has suddenly closed its main-scientific office, with 2 other offices firing 23 employees. The action of March 10 leaves the agency without how to feed independent science advice for its top leadership, at a time when it is Talking about sending astronauts on the moon And developing a plan to move forward on Mars.
Acting NASA administrator Janet Petro said in an agency-wide e-mail that “we are looking at it as an opportunity to shape our workforce”. All American federal agencies come before the day-off days It is necessary to submit a plan how they will eliminate employeesAs part of a radical downs willing of the federal government led by US President Donald Trump and His advisor Elon Musk in the name of improving efficiency,
These are NASA’s first firing since taking over by Trump, and he has taken a separate pattern for those in other federal agencies in the last few weeks. NASA was widely spared for unknown reasons Late of probationary employees – At least job security people because they have been in their positions for less than two years – seen in other agencies. This step makes NASA the first agency under the current Trump administration, which starts the required ‘deduction (RIFs) soon compared to several supervisors, for career employees for pre-Khali career employees. It is not clear whether other agencies may follow NASA’s leadership.
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The office chief scientist closed by NASA has its own offices; Office of technology, policy and strategy; And the access branch of diversity, equity, inclusion and diversity and equal opportunity of your office. The last of these is the direct result of cutting Trump’s 20 January Executive Order To Slash diversity, equity and inclusion initiative in the federal governmentBut the reason for the closure of the other two offices is not as clear.
Think about the future
Both offices advise the head of NASA, or administrator on scientific and technical matters. Petro is filling the post as long as Trump’s nominated, billionaire and private astronaut Jered Isaid – a friend of Kasturi – is confirmed by the American Senate.
Both offices are unique that they provide ways to add strategy to NASA departments and divisions. With his shutdown, “you will lose strategic thinking”, a staff member of NASA said that the structure of the offices is familiar, but did not want to be nominated for fear of vengeance.
For example, the office of the chief scientist included NASA’s Open-Sense initiative to share data and algorithm publiclyAnd hosted breeding and scientific morality among other subjects. “This was where people thought about NASA’s future,” said the staff member. The office also produces internal reports requested by NASA Administrator, including recent analysis on the possible impacts of incorporating industry partners Plan to bring Rock samples from Mars,
The office of the chief scientist is independent of the Directorate of Science Mission of NASA, which oversees the agency’s US $ 7 billion science budget and runs the mission including the Hubble Space Telescope and various Mars Rovers. The status of NASA’s chief scientist, which oversees the office, is conducted by climate scientist Kate Calvin. Along with termination of the office, Calvin is expected to return to the US Energy Department, from where he was temporarily lending to NASA.
The office of technology, policy and strategy studied extensive space issues for NASA, including the relationship between orbital debris, agency and private aerospace partners and artificial intelligence in space.
Firing came without warning on Monday morning, a person who lost his job NatureThey were particularly surprised that career employees were being abolished before the RIF-Plan deadline. “This is being done in a strange way before the agency will also have to let someone go,” he said. “Before everything happened today, NASA has been an incredible place to work – to dream big, to innovate, to do things that I never thought I could have done.”
This article is reproduced with permission and was first published On March 11, 2025,
