Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump's Budget Funds NASA but Privatizes the International Space Station

Trump's Budget Funds NASA but Privatizes the International Space Station
Photo Credit: QAI Publishing/UIG via Getty Images

If we want to go to Mars, we have to go back to the Moon first.

Hidden amidst tax cuts, spending cuts, and calls for infrastructure revitalization, is President Donald Trump's desire to send humans back to the Moon.


Though it's gotten little to no media attention, Trump's 2019 budget proposal requests $19.6 billion for NASA, which is a mere drop in the bucket compared to the $4 trillion dollar federal government budget. Most of the funds would be allocated toward space exploration, 10 billion of which will "pursue a campaign that would establish US preeminence to, around, and on the Moon."

Giphy

Building space stations around and on the Moon, such as the proposed Deep Space Gateway, would make launching deep space ventures like sending people to Mars easier, due to the Moon's low gravity. An abundance of water on the Moon can be converted into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel. A permanent presence on the Moon will also help scientists learn more about the history of our solar system and how well humans can live outside Earth's protective atmosphere and magnetic field. But the Moon is merely a pit-stop in the grander plan to explore the cosmos.

While returning to the Moon is certainly a necessity for further space exploration, the real prize is landing humans on Mars. A permanent settlement on Mars would be the ideal base for deeper exploration of our solar system and beyond. Mars can also, in theory, be terraformed to be more like Earth.

But all this comes at a price. The president's budget proposal seeks to privatize the International Space Station and cease using federal dollars to fund the mult-national laboratory by 2025.

Privatizing the ISS is a really poorly thought out plan, as Mark Berman pointed out on Twitter.

"In space, no one can hear you scam," wrote economist Paul Krugman.

The idea of privatizing the ISS is so bad that even Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is breaking with the president, calling it "one of the dumbest things you can do."

Space exploration benefits all of humanity and should forever remain a shared effort between nations interested in the pursuit of science and the truth about the Universe. It is also essential for humans to find another home if we are to avoid extinction.

Giphy

More from People/donald-trump

Flavor Flav
Bryan Steffy - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

Flavor Flav's 'Spirit Is Broken' After NBC Kicked Him Out Of Backstage Area At Tree Lighting

Rap icon Flavor Flav was dispirited by the way NBC treated him in a backstage area at the tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center on Wednesday.

The 65-year-old cofounder of the rap group Public Enemy said he was kicked out for no reason.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lindsey Graham; Pete Hegseth
Fox News, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Lindsey Graham Mocked For Instantly Flip-Flopping On Pete Hegseth Appointment: 'None Of It Counts'

Lindsey Graham doing a swift 180 on his initially negative assessment of beleaguered Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth gave the internet whiplash.

Hegseth, an Army National Guard veteran, was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to join his cabinet as Secretary of Defense days after Trump won the 2024 election for a second non-consecutive term.

Keep ReadingShow less
LL Cool J
Gareth Cattermole/MTV EMA/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Paramount

LL Cool J Sparks Debate After Claiming He's The 'Most Important Rapper That Ever Existed'

The '80s and '90s were a key period for musical innovation and artists deciding their sound and what they wanted their songs to talk about.

While appearing on the podcast Le Code by Apple Music, LL Cool J boldly stated that he felt that he was the "most important rapper that ever existed," and someday, people would realize he was right.

Keep ReadingShow less
John Fetterman; Ron DeSantis
CNN, Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

John Fetterman Jokes He'll Consider Confirming DeSantis—But Only On One Hilarious Condition

Democratic Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman made a wisecrack at Ron DeSantis after being asked if he would vote for the GOP Florida Governor as Secretary of Defense.

"I’ll consider a YES on him if he finally admits to his boots with 4' lifts," Fetterman joked on X (formerly Twitter) accompanied by a screenshot of a news headline stating "Trump may replace Hegseth with DeSantis: WSJ."

Keep ReadingShow less
Daniel Craig; Stephen Colbert
@colbertlateshow/Instagram

Stephen Colbert Stunned After Daniel Craig Calls Him Out For Pronouncing His Name Wrong

Daniel Craig humorously confronted Stephen Colbert during his Monday appearance on The Late Show, pointing out that the host had been mispronouncing his name for years.

“I have a bone to pick with you,” Craig said. “Six shows—say my name.” Colbert gave it a shot, correctly pronouncing "Craig" to rhyme with "vague." Craig jokingly acknowledged the improvement: “Oh, now you’re doing it right.”

Keep ReadingShow less