A battle for the heart of NASA: scientists defend Earthly missions

John Hopton for redOrbit.com – @Johnfinitum

Republican Senator Ted Cruz recently told a Senate hearing that NASA should move away from Earth sciences and concentrate more on exploring space, claiming that this is what most Americans expect from the agency and what is most likely to inspire future generations. High profile and well-informed people have been quick to disagree.

Cruz, who is a vehement climate change sceptic, caused concern about the future of NASA when he took over as chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Space, Science and Competitiveness, which oversees the agency.

[STORY: NASA gets budget boost in $1.1 trillion spending bill]

Rebutting his claim that there is too much focus on NASA’s Earthly pursuits appeared to come easy to opponents, who pointed out that 1) Earth science is a founding principle of NASA, and 2) we won’t be able to do very much future exploration of anything from a home planet which is completely destroyed.

As Mashable reported, these opponents include the American Geophysical Union, the largest Earth science society with more than 60,000 Earth and space scientists, and NASA administrator Charles Bolden, who was at the Senate hearing.

Cruz told the subcommittee meeting, which was discussing the Obama administration’s $18.5 billion 2016 budget request for NASA: “I’d like to start by asking a general question. In your judgment, what is the core mission of NASA?” He added that: “Almost any American would agree that the core function of NASA is to explore space. That’s what inspires little boys and little girls across this country. I am concerned that NASA in the current environment has lost its full focus on that core mission.”

[STORY: Earth to become uninhabitable in a few billion years]

Bolden replied: “Our core mission from the very beginning has been to investigate, explore space and the Earth environment, and to help us make this place a better place.” Defending spending more money on Earth science activities, he said he is “proud” of it since it has led to a greater understanding of the planet.

“We can’t go anywhere if the Kennedy Space Center goes underwater and we don’t know it,” he added. “It is absolutely critical that we understand Earth’s environment because this is the only place that we have to live.”

Democratic Senator Bill Nelson of Florida, a former NASA astronaut, also defended the agency’s work on Earth science, saying: “Earth science directly relates to everything that we’re doing in exploration.”

Countering direct threats to America and the world

In an unusually bold move for a scientific society, the American Geophysical Union produced a letter a day after the hearing, which began by saying:

“Earth sciences are a fundamental part of science. They constitute hard sciences that help us understand the world we live in and provide a basis for knowledge and understanding of natural hazards, weather forecasting, air quality, and water availability, among other concerns.”

[STORY: Scientists predict Earth-like planets orbit most stars]

The letter went on to say that NASA’s Earth Science Division missions aid in flood prediction, earthquake response, severe storm tracking, rebuilding fish populations, developing new water resources for manufacturing and agriculture, and restoring communities in the wake of hazards.

The society warned that: “The applicability of these missions cannot be overstated given their impact on your constituents.”

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Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1113352394/a-battle-for-the-heart-of-nasa-scientists-defend-earthly-missions-031515/