NASA's Science Budget Gets a Lifeline, but Not Without Scars
In a stunning reversal, Congress has approved a budget for NASA that slashes funding for the agency's science programs by only 1 percent, down from nearly 50 percent under the Trump administration's proposal. The move is being hailed as a victory for scientists and engineers who feared the worst when the White House unveiled its budget plan in June.
The deal, which was brokered by lawmakers over the summer and fall, ensures that most of NASA's science portfolio will remain intact. While some programs have been scaled back, others, like the Mars Sample Return mission, are no longer on the chopping block. Instead, NASA may need to develop a new strategy for returning samples from Mars, with human exploration becoming a more likely option.
The budget also provides funding for several high-profile missions, including the DAVINCI probe for Venus and the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope. The latter is designed to search for signs of life on nearby Earth-like planets. While some cuts were unavoidable, NASA's science budget has been spared from the worst of the axe, thanks in large part to the efforts of lawmakers and advocacy groups like The Planetary Society.
Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, said he was pleased with the outcome. "This is, frankly, better than I could have expected," he said. "There's very little to not like in this." However, Dreier lamented the wasted hours spent by scientists and engineers planning to comply with the Trump administration's budget proposal.
The final budget plan for NASA allocates $7.25 billion for science programs in fiscal year 2026. While this represents a significant reduction from the proposed level of $14.1 billion under the Trump plan, it is still more than double the $3.2 billion allocated last year. The biggest casualty in the budget is the Mars Sample Return mission, which was slated to cost approximately $10 billion with no certain return date for samples.
The deal must now be signed into law by President Trump, and it will take effect immediately if he does so. With this development, NASA's science budget has been spared from what many feared would be a catastrophic reduction in funding. While some cuts were unavoidable, the outcome is a testament to the power of Congress to shape the nation's priorities and resource allocation.
In a stunning reversal, Congress has approved a budget for NASA that slashes funding for the agency's science programs by only 1 percent, down from nearly 50 percent under the Trump administration's proposal. The move is being hailed as a victory for scientists and engineers who feared the worst when the White House unveiled its budget plan in June.
The deal, which was brokered by lawmakers over the summer and fall, ensures that most of NASA's science portfolio will remain intact. While some programs have been scaled back, others, like the Mars Sample Return mission, are no longer on the chopping block. Instead, NASA may need to develop a new strategy for returning samples from Mars, with human exploration becoming a more likely option.
The budget also provides funding for several high-profile missions, including the DAVINCI probe for Venus and the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope. The latter is designed to search for signs of life on nearby Earth-like planets. While some cuts were unavoidable, NASA's science budget has been spared from the worst of the axe, thanks in large part to the efforts of lawmakers and advocacy groups like The Planetary Society.
Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at The Planetary Society, said he was pleased with the outcome. "This is, frankly, better than I could have expected," he said. "There's very little to not like in this." However, Dreier lamented the wasted hours spent by scientists and engineers planning to comply with the Trump administration's budget proposal.
The final budget plan for NASA allocates $7.25 billion for science programs in fiscal year 2026. While this represents a significant reduction from the proposed level of $14.1 billion under the Trump plan, it is still more than double the $3.2 billion allocated last year. The biggest casualty in the budget is the Mars Sample Return mission, which was slated to cost approximately $10 billion with no certain return date for samples.
The deal must now be signed into law by President Trump, and it will take effect immediately if he does so. With this development, NASA's science budget has been spared from what many feared would be a catastrophic reduction in funding. While some cuts were unavoidable, the outcome is a testament to the power of Congress to shape the nation's priorities and resource allocation.
but on the other hand it's still kinda sad that they had to scale back some programs in the first place... maybe it's not so bad tho since they were able to save the Mars Sample Return mission and some of those high-profile missions like the DAVINCI probe and the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope 
what really got me is how much time and effort scientists and engineers spent planning for that Trump admin budget... I mean, it's not great but at least now we know where things stand and maybe this will lead to some new strategies for space exploration 
that NASA's science budget got a lifeline! I was worried sick about those Mars Sample Return mission cuts 
. Like, who wants to delay or cancel a major space exploration project just because of politics? It's all good now that most programs are saved and new missions like DAVINCI and Habitable Worlds Observatory are still on track 
. I'm curious to see how NASA will adjust their strategy for Mars Sample Return, maybe they'll even get more funding in the future 
. This is a huge win for scientists and engineers who work hard every day 
. Fingers crossed that President Trump will sign this into law ASAP 
like nasa needs more funding or is it not that important anymore? 
also what's up with mars sample return mission? cant they just send robots there instead of risking lives? 
so they're basically cutting 48% of nasa's science budget but somehow saving like 99% of it? how do they even do that math 
1% less funding than proposed under Trump but still way more than double what it was last year 
$7.25 billion is a big number 
And the fact that some programs are still on is a huge win for scientists and engineers 
Like, Mars Sample Return mission was looking pretty shaky 
But now they might need to come up with a new plan because of the budget constraints 
And we gotta give it up to The Planetary Society for their role in advocating for NASA's science budget 
. 1% might not seem like much, but it's definitely better than being cut in half 
. I'm curious to see how NASA will adapt the Mars Sample Return mission without the original budget 
.
anyway, congrats to all the lawmakers and advocacy groups like The Planetary Society for their hard work 
I'm kinda surprised they didn't cut out all the science programs like it seemed they were gonna do. I mean, I know some people thought that Trump was just messing with us, but still. It's a small win for NASA, I guess. They're still getting more than double what they got last year, so that's something