On Tuesday, NASA fired its chief scientist and others to comply with President Donald Trump’s demands, the latest administration step undercutting climate change research.
The action impacts 23 staff, but a spokesman said more layoffs are likely.
The first phase eliminates the Office of the Chief Scientist, overseen by famous scientist Katherine Calvin, who contributed to UN climate reports. Last month, she and other US participants were excluded from a key climate science meeting in China.
“To optimize our workforce, and in compliance with an Executive Order, Nasa is beginning its phased approach to a RIF,” agency spokesperson Cheryl Warner said.
A small number of people were notified March 10 of their NASA RIF membership. Employees who qualify can join VERA or RIF.
The Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Branch were disbanded.
According to reports, Trump’s pick for NASA chief Jared Isaacman intervened last minute to spare NASA from substantial cuts. Isaacman, an e-payments tycoon and SpaceX customer, is connected to Trump’s advisor and federal cost-cutter Elon Musk.
NASA planned to cut off 1,000 probationary staffers in February. According to Ars Technica, Isaacman requested a delay in the cuts. NASA has not explained the change.
The additional layoffs, revealed by Nasa Watch citing an internal document, may indicate a shift from research to exploration.
Trump and Musk support Mars exploration. Trump said last week in his State of the Union address that the US would “plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond.”
NASA operates a fleet of Earth-monitoring satellites, conducts aerial and ground-based investigations, develops sophisticated climate models, and provides open-source data to scholars and the public.
Trump, who has termed climate change a “scam” and denigrated the UN and climate science, has left the Paris Agreement again.
Meanwhile, his administration has fired hundreds of NOAA staff, the nation’s second major climate agency, with further cuts planned.
