NASA loses another senior official as tension about the agency's future grows
9 months ago
- #budget-cuts
- #NASA
- #leadership-changes
- Makenzie Lystrup, director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, resigns effective August 1.
- Goddard oversees key missions like Hubble Space Telescope and OSIRIS-REx.
- Resignation follows Laurie Leshin’s departure from Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
- NASA faces budget cuts and workforce reductions, with over 2,000 senior employees set to leave.
- Trump’s proposed 2026 budget would cut NASA funding by 25%, impacting space and Earth science divisions.
- Budget proposal also phases out Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft.
- 280+ NASA employees signed the Voyager Declaration, criticizing budget cuts for compromising safety and mission.
- Lystrup’s resignation reason undisclosed; Cynthia Simmons named acting director.
- Internal concerns about 'brain drain' and mission sustainability amid workforce reductions.