NASA chief to defy agency's charter, terminating science

Sputnik 1 launched in 1957 as the first human-created satellite, producing visible reflections of sunlight and marking the start of the space age. The United States launched Explorer 1 in February 1958 and passed the National Aeronautics and Space Act on July 29, 1958, creating NASA to coordinate space policy and exploration. NASA's charter guided landmark programs including Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo and six Moon landings from 1969–1972. In August 2025, NASA announced the intention to terminate all science activities except those related to spaceflight, a policy that would eliminate most scientific programs and weaken national scientific leadership.

Back in 1957, something spectacular happened that would change the world forever: the first human-created satellite, Sputnik 1, was launched into space. Orbiting our planet in low-Earth orbit, its unique signatures could be seen across the world. Unlike the stars, planets, or meteors that illuminated the night sky, this artificial satellite would glow with the reflected light of the Sun, streaking across the skies overhead whenever it passed within a couple of hundred kilometers of an observer's location.

Rushing to catch up, the first US space probe - Explorer 1 - was launched in February of 1958. On July 29 of that year, President Eisenhower since the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 into law, establishing the foundation for space policy and bringing NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, into existence. In all the time since, adhering to the vision of its charter, NASA has been responsible for some of the greatest achievements in human history,

And now, here in August of 2025, acting NASA chief Sean Duffy just announced the intention to terminate all science activities except those related to spaceflight. It's an extinction-level event for American science, one that will surely destroy arguably the greatest organization symbolizing science and progress in all of history. It's no secret that achievements in human spaceflight is the crown jewel of what NASA has accomplished over its 67 year history.

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