Scientists, including 90s-kid hero and Washington, D.C., native Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” are pushing Congress to protect funding for NASA.
The Monday visit to Capitol Hill came as the Trump administration has proposed a 47% cut to NASA science, in order to shift resources to fund projects like human space exploration to the moon and Mars.
300 scientists and advocates spent the day in the District, and Nye helped to lead the charge as the CEO of space advocacy group The Planetary Society.
Nye and the scientists say the research underway is needed to support those missions to the moon and Mars, and they want to see both happen.
“We are falling behind,” Nye said, showing a graphic comparing the planned missions of China’s National Space Administration compared to the proposed cuts. “We are giving up leadership. We are ceding our place on Earth with the space program.”
Nye says the NASA missions he grew up with are an important inspiration, and for the U.S. to give up that leadership would be “heartbreaking.”
“I know how it affected me, how it changed the world,” Nye said. “How it… leaves the world better than we found it.”
Even though the Trump administration has proposed cuts, so far, the House and Senate appropriations committees have rejected many of the cuts.
Monday was a push for lawmakers to follow through.
“They just got to get it across the finish line, as we say,” Nye said. “They’ve got to sign these things into law. And I think they will, they probably will, but the deal’s not done until the deal’s done, so standby.”
Nye, and other advocates, say they want to make sure this is a focus once the government reopens.
from Local – NBC4 Washington https://ift.tt/aFDc01W
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