NASA Takes a Step Back: How Recent Trump Orders Impact Scientific Advisory Panels

NASA has paused the activities of several committees focused on astrophysics and planetary science. This decision comes as the agency reviews its compliance with recent executive orders from President Donald Trump.

On January 31, NASA informed leadership in these scientific groups to halt their meetings until the agency determines how these activities align with the new guidelines. According to SpaceNews, this step is part of a broader effort to ensure adherence to executive actions targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion roles, among other issues.

These executive orders impact various programs across the federal government. Just after Trump’s move against diversity and inclusion initiatives, NASA ended its diversity program and canceled related contracts. Janet Petro, NASA’s acting administrator, highlighted concerns over potential disguises for these programs in a memo, asking staff to report any such changes.

Nasa’s assessment groups, which provide feedback without formal recommendations, focus on crucial topics related to space exploration. They analyze missions to the Moon, Mars, and other celestial bodies, aiming to foster deeper understanding of our universe.

The Mercury Exploration Assessment Group, for example, had to cancel an important meeting recently due to the newly issued guidelines. Mallory Kinczyk, part of the group’s steering committee, expressed disappointment over the cancellation on the social media platform Bluesky.

NASA isn’t alone in facing challenges with the Trump administration’s recent directives. Other federal science agencies, like the National Institute of Health, have also experienced abrupt cancellations of meetings and research reviews.

While Trump has ambitions for space exploration, including landing astronauts on Mars, it remains uncertain how these goals align with NASA’s plans. The agency aims to return astronauts to the Moon by 2027 and establish a sustainable presence there, which would help facilitate future missions to Mars in the 2030s. How these plans will proceed under the current administration is still unclear, especially given the interest of private sector figures like Elon Musk in similar goals.