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NASA is eliminating its chief scientist and other roles as part of efforts by the Trump administration to pare back staff at the agency’s Washington headquarters. The cuts affect about 20 employees at NASA, including Katherine Calvin, the chief scientist and a climate science expert. The last day of work for Dr. Calvin and the other staff members will be April 10. That could be a harbinger of deeper cuts to NASA’s science missions and a greater emphasis on human spaceflight, especially to Mars. During a speech to Congress, President Trump said, “We are going to lead humanity into space and plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond.” He did not give a timeline for astronauts to reach the red planet, and during an interview on Fox News, he said it was not a top priority. “It’d be a great achievement.” The administration sent notice to Congress on Monday that NASA was abolishing the Office of the Chief Scientist and the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy. The office also made sure NASA’s push for innovation was balanced with thoughtful consideration of its long-term impacts. The notice said NASA estimated severance costs would be about $1.2 million. The Democratic House staff members said they worried deeper cuts at NASA would follow. Last week, The Planetary Society raised alarms that the Trump administration could be considering slashing the budget for NASA’s science activities by half.
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