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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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You certainly ask interesting questions.
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Radio. News. Well, NASA is caught in the crosshairs of the Trump administration's proposed buzzer cuts. Scientists and space advocates scrambling to save the organization from a potential 47 percent slash in funding, with 85 percent of staff furloughed amid the government shutdown. all while the president considers reviving fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman's nomination to lead NASA.
Joining me now is a familiar face fighting against this, Bill Nye the Science Guy. He is the CEO at the Planetary Society. Bill, fantastic. to have you with us, of course. We had Monday's Day of Action. You played a strong part in organizing that.
Tell us about what the reception has been like from the Trump administration, from Congress, in trying to push back against some of these proposed cuts.
Well, Congress has been great. So both the Senate and House have pushed back, rejecting virtually all of the proposed cuts. So 20% overall to NASA and 47%, almost half, to NASA science. And if you cut NASA science in half, you pretty much end it. So the expression is extinction level for science. And so the reason this matters is...
Every dollar you spend with NASA, it goes into the economy about a factor of three. It inures to a benefit about three X of what you put in. And then the other thing everybody you guys were talking about. China and our relationship to China. China National Space Administration, rather, is doing amazing things.
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Chapter 2: What are the proposed cuts to NASA funding?
he did there.
Instrumental.
I got him. It's an instrument. But talk a little bit about it, Bill. And I'm serious. I mean, talk a little bit about why that's important for the average person. Because I think the average person looks at this and just thinks, okay, we're just shooting stuff up into space just for, you know, just for giggles.
Oh, no, no, no. So everybody, we're having this conversation right now because of so-called space assets. We would not be able to predict weather. We would not be able to have situational awareness for the military. We would not have satellite Internet service. We wouldn't have any of these things without exploring space. Everybody knows the expressions, Big Bang. Everybody knows black hole.
These are a result of space exploration. And I predict it's not extraordinary. If we were to find evidence of life on another world, it would change this world. It would change the way each of us feels about being a living thing here in the cosmos. And so furthermore, the cost of this exploration is very, very small.
compared to everything else in the federal budget the federal government spends money on. And then I remind you guys, other countries, other space programs are going full on organized efforts to do almost mission for mission. what the United States is planning to cut. It's really a remarkable time. But as I say, both the Senate and House have rejected the cuts.
What we want them to do is that business of reconciliation and then get this, as they say, over the finish line, this legislation.
Well, Bill, I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the idea that you could see private companies step in to fill the void that could be left behind if NASA is cut in half. I see you shaking your head. I'm going to give the mic to you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's two different things. Sending rockets to low Earth orbit or even ferrying spacecraft to high Earth geosynchronous orbits and so on is one thing. There is no business case. Nobody's making money looking for evidence of life on Mars. This is a replica of the Mars sample tubes. These are rock samples that are on Mars. Some of them are in the belly of the rover Perseverance.
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Chapter 3: How is Congress responding to NASA funding cuts?
Do you think, though, Bill, and I know that the U.S. has kind of been at the center of the space exploration for decades now. The U.S. invented it. We did. But is it possible now that we're going to see another country, whether it be China, India or someone else, pick up that mantle? And can that be beneficial still for the U.S. or not?
Well, I don't think it's what people want. I don't think most people in the United States, most U.S. citizens would be joyful that another space organization was able to put people on the moon again without the U.S. having a presence or to put people to send spacecraft or other missions to these more distant destinations, Jupiter, Mars, Europa. Titan, moon of Saturn.
Also, you guys, the plan now is just turn these spacecraft off. Just turn them off. I mean, we have spent at least $12 billion on the spacecraft which are flying right now. And in the case of Mars, we've spent about $23 billion. to find this place, to look for these rocks, to bring them back. Talk about a waste of money. Just turning them off. This is extraordinary.
The idea is just hard to imagine, really, at first. And that's why the Senate and the House have rejected these cuts and pushed back. As far as whose idea it was in the first place to cut NASA in half, I'm not sure. Because understand, the first Trump administration was all in on space.
Chapter 4: What is the economic impact of NASA's budget?
Yeah. They were increasing the NASA budget going full on. Yeah.
And something's happened second time around. Well, it'll be interesting to see. We have to get you back on because there is a bill now trying to work its way through the committees that maybe could reinstate some of that funding, not all of it. Bill, really appreciate it. Bill Nye, of course, is the CEO at the Planetary Society.
And, of course, many of us, of course, very endearingly know him from his previous show. Bill Nye as the science guy.
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