NASA's future in question as budget cuts threaten key missions

# **NASA in Peril: White House Proposes Drastic Cuts to Science Funding**

## **Missions in the Crosshairs**
The White House’s 2027 budget plan strikes a devastating blow to NASA’s scientific ambitions, proposing to slash science funding by nearly **half**. Over **50 missions**—some operational for nearly a decade—now face an uncertain future.

Among the casualties:
- **Juno**: The intrepid spacecraft, orbiting Jupiter for nearly a decade, could be left adrift.
- **New Horizons**: The explorer of Pluto and the Kuiper Belt may never continue its journey.
- **Asteroid Sample Missions**: Recent triumphs in returning cosmic material to Earth may go unrealized.

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## **Future Exploration in Limbo**
The damage extends beyond existing missions, threatening **future exploration** and decades of scientific progress.

- **Venus Missions Abandoned**: Planned expeditions like **DAVINCI** and **VERITAS**, set to unravel the mysteries of Earth’s twin, could vanish entirely.
- **Mars Rover Partnerships in Jeopardy**: NASA’s role in the **European Mars rover mission** hangs by a thread.
- **International Collaborations at Risk**:
- **LISA** – The gravitational wave detector, a global effort.
- **ATHENA** – The X-ray observatory, years in the making.
- **Chandra** – The veteran X-ray telescope, scanning the cosmos for **25 years**, now faces an uncertain retirement.