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Facts About NASA's Budget Cuts:

• To win the Space Race to the Moon, NASA was prioritized and appropriated $68 billion in 1965 alone (adjusted for inflation). In 2026, with goals to reach Mars, NASA proposed budget is only $18.8 billion. NASA's budget is only 0.3% of the entire US spending.¹

• Approximately 50% cuts to NASA's science budget will drastically hinder NASA's ability to produce science from current and future missions.²

• Some of the cuts to NASA science involve turning off spacecraft that are already in space and actively sending back data.

• NASA contributes to agriculture, weather predictions and safety. Without NASA Earth science, early detection for natural disasters and forecasting would be imprecise and difficult.

• Technology created at NASA has real world benefits! GPS, cell phone cameras, robotic surgery, and Velcro are all commercial products from NASA technologies.³

• NASA will lose thousands of talented experts, engineers, scientists, communicators, and more. Expected labor numbers would require laying off 3,000+ federal employees, plus contractors and co-op interns.

• The budget proposes 100% cuts to the office of STEM Engagement, which offers hundreds of NASA internships year round.¹

• There will be a loss of NASA jobs and money in communities across the nation, including Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida.⁴ 

• Losses of budget and talent will set American space exploration behind global competitors and cede space exploration to China and India.

• Cuts to NASA's safety groups could lead to disasters like Apollo 1, Challenger, or Columbia.

Learn more:

1.  Budget appropriations graph 1960-Present: https://www.planetary.org/space-policy/nasa-budget 

2.  NASA's 2026 Fiscal Year Presidential Budget Request (PBR): https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2026-budget-request/ 

3.  NASA "Spinoffs”: https://spinoff.nasa.gov/ 

4.  NASA’s economic impact to local communities: https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/final-fy23-nasa-ecomomic-impact-report.pdf 

• Save NASA Science, Planetary Society: https://www.planetary.org/save-nasa-science 

• Resources & Talking Points: https://www.planetary.org/save-nasa-science#resources 

• Find your Congress Member: https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member 

• Stand Up For Science: https://www.standupforscience.net/