From an article by Jeff Foust at spacenews.com:

WASHINGTON — NASA used a briefing about the agency’s next Earth science mission to also emphasize the importance of that research in general, given concerns the next administration may seek to slash funding for it.

A Nov. 10 briefing at NASA Headquarters about the upcoming launch of the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) mission featured an introduction by Thomas Zurbuchen, the new associate administrator for science, who talked not about the mission itself but about NASA’s Earth science work in general.

“NASA’s work on Earth science is making a difference in people’s lives all around the world every day,” he said. “Earth science helps save lives. It also helps grow companies and creates an awareness of environmental challenges that affect our lives today and tomorrow.”

While making no direct reference to politics, he made those comments less than 36 hours after Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump declared victory in the Nov. 8 presidential election. Trump’s space policy platform, which came into focus only in the final weeks of the campaign, called for reducing funding for Earth science in favor of exploration missions.

 

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Image Credit:    Univ. of Michigan

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