300 space advocates rally in D.C. to Save NASA Science

Nearly 300 people from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Save NASA Science Day of Action. They came from all walks of life and a range of political identities. Some had decades of professional experience; most had none, holding instead a personal passion for space exploration. All came on their own dime and on their own time.

They shared a single motivation: to support NASA's science program, which is facing its largest proposed cut in history.

Despite the unexpected government shutdown, constituents fanned out through the halls of Congress and met with representatives from nearly 250 congressional offices. Planetary Society members around the country also called and emailed their representatives, sending more than 1,300 messages of support in a single day.

Representative Glenn Ivey (D-MD-04) joined Planetary CEO Bill Nye, American Astronomical Society (AAS) President Elect Marcel Agüeros, and American Geophysical Union (AGU) President Brandon Jones for a press conference in front of the Capitol. Flanked by scientists and hundreds of space advocates, they spoke about the severity of the proposed cuts and the positive actions Congress had taken so far to reject them.

Initial feedback from our participants suggest an overwhelmingly positive reception on Capitol Hill. Both House and Senate 2026 appropriations bills had already rejected the full extent of cuts to NASA and NASA's science programs, though the House would still impose an 18% reduction. It was an opportunity to both express appreciation for the work Congress had already done, while also encouraging them to merge the best proposals from both bills and pass the resulting legislation into law.

"Turning off billions of dollars-worth of functioning spacecraft isn’t a savings. It’s a waste," said Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye. "And Congress agrees! Both the House and Senate have advanced bipartisan legislation rejecting nearly all of these cuts. We are here today to urge them to finish the job, to work together to finalize a budget that protects NASA and NASA science."

Bill Nye and Casey Dreier, The Planetary Society's chief of space policy, engaged major media outlets about this historic event, providing interviews to MSNBC, CBS News, ABC News, CNN, BBC News, WUSA9, Axios, and others.

The event was the product of a unique coalition of twenty different public interest, scientific, labor organizations:

• American Association of Physics Teachers
• American Astronomical Society
• American Geophysical Union
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• American Society of Gravitational and Space Research
• Association of American Universities
• Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
• Black in Astro
• Ecological Society of America
• Explore Mars, Inc.
• International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers
• Maryland Aerospace Alliance
• National Space Society
• Scientific Society for Astrobiology
• Stand Up For Science
• Students for the Exploration and Development of Space
• TexSpace Collective
• The Mars Society
• The Planetary Society
• Universities Space Research Association

As always, we remain humbled by the dedication, passion, and commitment of our members and other participants of the Day of Action. The Save NASA Science Day of Action succeeded because of this grassroots energy, a shared desire to see science remain a leading activity of the U.S. space program.