Report Envisions 'Hollow Future' for NASA

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Facts

• A National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine report published Tuesday and titled 'NASA at a Crossroads' describes a possible 'hollow future' for the space agency if it doesn't address several issues.^[1][2]
• Written by a committee of aerospace experts at the request of Congress, the report says NASA's prioritizing of near-term missions and its lack of a vision for the future is contributing to its deterioration.^[3]
• In addition, the report suggests NASA's overreliance on private contractors combines with its near-term focus to scare off talented personnel and degrade infrastructure.^[4]
• The report suggests that in lieu of additional funding from Congress — which will likely be challenging — NASA should invest in developing new technologies and training new employees rather than carrying out costly missions.^[3]
• Meanwhile, the US House's budget for 2025 allots $200M less to NASA than the agency requested — a little more than it received in 2024, but less when the rate of inflation is factored in. The White House wants to return NASA to 2023 levels, which would be about half a billion more than its 2024 funding.^[4]
• This comes as technical issues during NASA's mission to the International Space Station on a Boeing Starliner have left two astronauts to be picked up by Elon Musk's SpaceX sometime in 2025.^[5]

Sources: ^[1]Engadget, ^[2]The National Academies Press, ^[3]Washington Post, ^[4]Astronomy Magazine and ^[5]Verge.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by PBS NewsHour. If NASA wants to survive into the next decade, it has to get serious about long-term planning. The agency has to budget for improvements to infrastructure and focus on retaining talent by showing employees their jobs will be safe year to year. If NASA doesn't come up with a sustainability plan, it'll never get to execute its big-picture plans, like returning to the moon and reaching Mars.
• Narrative B, as provided by Ars Technica. These issues are serious and disappointing, but NASA can't be blamed because it has seen its budget squeezed year to year for some time. Congress and the White House like to boast about future missions to the moon and Mars, but those projects cost money the government doesn't seem willing to bestow on NASA. If the government wants NASA to survive, it must properly fund it for the here-and-now and the future.

Predictions