NASA Slashing Observations of Earth

mattnyc99 points us to a new report by the National Research Council warning that, by 2010, the number of NASA's Earth-observing missions will drop dramatically, and the number of operating sensors and instruments on NASA spacecraft will decrease by 40 percent. The report says, "The United States' extraordinary foundation of global observations is at great risk." Popular Mechanics asks an MIT professor what it all means. From these accounts it is clear that the Bush administration's priorities on a Mars mission and a moon base are partly to blame for the de-emphasizing of earth science. Neither article quite says that some responsibility must fall to the administration's footdragging on global warming.

Comments

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[macadamia_harold]

From these accounts it is clear that the Bush administration's priorities on a Mars mission and a moon base are partly to blame for the de-emphasizing of earth science.

Translation: Apparently big oil can't disprove the overwhelming evidence which proves global warming, so they've turned to the only alternative they have. Get Bush to make NASA stop collecting the evidence.

A huge waste of taxpayers money?

[Gryphoenix]

I'm sorry but I sincerely feel that NASA eats up too huge a chunk of the Federal Budget. I agree with space exploration to a point such as gathering vital information such as weather and counterintelligence but I do not feel that Mars Missions or Moon missions are cost effective or necessary. I'm glad for the possible downsize.

Re:Prioritites people

[freedom_india]

You don;t get it. Do you? New Orleans does NOT, repeat NOT, have any Oil. If Katrina had hit oil fields in S.Arabia, Bush would have sailed forthwith to rebuild the oil fields with his own bare hands, and in addition would have "requested" his offsprings to help him.

By now, the oil fields would have been rebuilt 3 times over erasing any trace of Katrina.

But alas, the New Orleans people don;t have any oil fields to get Govt, Aid, and hence have to fight Statefarm for money.....

Lesson 101 Bushco Economics: All your oil fields are belong to us.