"I don't think it is an overstatement to say that morale among U.S.-based scientists is at an all-time low." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2026 budget request, if approved by Congress, would kill many of NASA’s plans for robotic exploration of the solar system. Gone, too, would be multiple space-based missions to study Earth, the sun and the rest of the universe.