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The Downlink • Mar 14, 2025
A time for action
Space Snapshot
What does space exploration mean to you?
This infrared view of the Pillars of Creation, a star-forming region inside the Eagle Nebula, was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The image is a thing of beauty, and it teaches us more about the Universe that we inhabit. Hubble has been capturing the Cosmos like this for decades and continues to do important work.
Hubble, like many other NASA-funded science missions, could be at risk if the White House proceeds with its reported plan to cut NASA’s science funding by 50% next year.
If space exploration is important to you, this is an extremely important time to speak up. Space advocates like you have already sent more than 12,000 letters to their elected officials in support of NASA science.
Learn more about this threat to NASA science and what you can do about it.
Image credit: NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team.
Fact Worth Sharing
NASA has over 100 active science missions continuously studying our planet, the Solar System, and the Universe. The resulting data are freely available to anyone in the world, multiplying the impact of every dollar invested. There are no private options for space science; it is a true public good.
Mission Briefings
ISS astronauts are speaking up for the station. In response to Elon Musk’s claim that the International Space Station was no longer useful and should be deorbited, astronauts currently aboard the station spoke to the press about the important science still being conducted on the ISS, advocating for its continued operations. Pictured: The International Space Station in 2021. Image credit: NASA.
NASA is reducing its workforce to comply with an Executive Order. The agency announced this week that cuts will include shutting down the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy, the Office of the Chief Scientist, and a branch of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Further layoffs are expected in the coming months.
Voyager 1 and 2 can continue collecting science data by shutting off some instruments. To manage the twin spacecraft’s dwindling power supply, Voyager mission engineers have turned off the cosmic ray subsystem experiment aboard Voyager 1 and will shut off Voyager 2’s low-energy charged particle instrument. This will allow the instruments most useful for studying the heliosphere and interstellar space to operate for longer.
SpaceX’s Starship exploded in a recent test launch. The eighth Starship Integrated Flight Test (IFT-8) took place last week, resulting in an explosion above the Caribbean. SpaceX did succeed in catching the Super Heavy booster.
The Intuitive Machines lunar lander mission ended prematurely. The private company’s IM-2 lander reached the Moon on March 6 but landed in a shadowed crater where its solar cells could not charge. The spacecraft, which was intended to operate for 10 days, ran out of batteries after 13 hours.
From The Planetary Society
The Day of Action is the best way to speak up for NASA. Anyone who lives in the United States can join us in Washington, D.C. on March 24 to advocate for space on Capitol Hill. We arrange the meetings and train all participants. Today is the last day to sign up. Watch a video Q&A about the event or visit our Day of Action page to learn more, and register today. Pictured: Participants in the 2024 Day of Action. Image credit: The Planetary Society.
Explore the future of space politics with Planetary Radio Live. Join us for a special live taping of Planetary Radio and the Space Policy Edition, featuring hosts Sarah Al-Ahmed, Casey Dreier, Bill Nye, and other special guests in downtown Washington, D.C. on March 24. Tickets are available now.
Even in difficult times, it’s important to celebrate. The Planetary Society’s Cosmic Shores Gala will bring together members, staff, and special guests to reflect on all the successes we’ve had over our 45 years in existence. Join us on April 5 aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California, to celebrate the impact that a worldwide movement for space can have. Get your tickets today.
What's Up
From March 18-21, super bright Venus will be visible in northern latitudes just after sunset in the west and just after sunrise in the east. Very bright Jupiter is high in the evening sky, followed by reddish Mars. Learn more about what to look for in March’s night skies.
Wow of the Week
If the current threats to NASA science make you want to explode, try channeling that energy into tracking solar explosions instead. A new citizen science project from the European Space Agency is calling on people to help comb through data from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft, which has been observing the Sun since 2020. Volunteers will help identify Type III solar bursts, radio waves sent out by fast-moving electrons accelerated by solar flares. Everyone around the world is invited to help with this project. Pictured: Solar Orbiter captured this image of the Sun in 2023. Image credit: ESA & NASA / Solar Orbiter / EUI Team.
Send us your artwork!
We love to feature space artwork in the Downlink. If you create any kind of space-related art, we invite you to send it to us by replying to any Downlink email or writing to [email protected]. Please let us know in your email if you’re a Planetary Society member!