White House Orders NASA to Destroy Important Satellite
9 months ago
- #Climate Change
- #Trump Administration
- #NASA
- The White House instructed NASA to terminate two climate-focused satellite missions, the Orbiting Carbon Observatories.
- These missions provide valuable data on carbon dioxide distribution, used by industries and farmers.
- One satellite is attached to the ISS, while the other operates independently and would burn up if terminated.
- The Trump administration's move aligns with its history of climate change denial and undermining scientific efforts.
- Scientists argue the missions are cost-effective ($15M/year) and provide high-quality data critical for climate research.
- Terminating these missions could harm U.S. leadership in space and violate laws by overriding allocated budgets.
- Lawmakers, including Sen. Chris Van Hollen and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, oppose the cuts, calling them illegal and catastrophic for climate monitoring.