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Among the many federal projects in limbo during this government shutdown - planetary science. That means things like analyzing giant asteroids or studying the magnetosphere of Jupiter or better understanding Mars so that we humans might one day visit. NPR's Katia Riddle reports.
KATIA RIDDLE, BYLINE: A couple decades ago, scientists discovered an asteroid that looked like it was on track to come unusually close to the Earth. Dani DellaGiustina is a planetary scientist. She's part of the mission that's studying this asteroid.
DANI DELLAGIUSTINA: When it was discovered in 2004, there was an initial scare that it might impact the Earth.
RIDDLE: ...Maybe even crash into our planet. They named this potential Earth destroyer Apophis.
DELLAGIUSTINA: The name Apophis comes from the Egyptian god of chaos.
RIDDLE: Eventually, scientists determined the god of chaos would not be destroying the Earth, but it is on track to pass by it in just a few years. That presents a rare opportunity to get a close look at it. Their mission to send a spacecraft to study this asteroid is called OSIRIS-APEX. That spacecraft is already en route to Apophis. When President Trump's proposed budget came out for 2026, funding for OSIRIS-APEX was not in it.
DELLAGIUSTINA: We were one of many projects that was slated for cancellation as part of that proposal.
RIDDLE: To be clear, the president's budget is not final. It's more of a wish list. Once it comes out, Congress decides on funding for line item programs through the appropriation process. DellaGiustina and the other scientists mounted a campaign to save OSIRIS-APEX. Apophis is big, at least in terms of asteroids that happen to be taking a stroll through our neighborhood. It's as wide as the Empire State Building is tall.
DELLAGIUSTINA: An object of this size only gets so close to the Earth about once every 7,500 years, so we have really just this one opportunity to send a spacecraft there to study it.
RIDDLE: The scientists wanted to see how Earth's gravity, sunlight and geology will affect the asteroid when it gets close. Among other things, if we ever do encounter an asteroid that's on track to destroy Earth, having met this one in person will give us some idea of what we're dealing with. She says, to the elected officials they spoke with, this was a persuasive argument.
DELLAGIUSTINA: And that is, I think, why we were able to garner such incredible support from both sides of the aisle.
RIDDLE: Their allies in Congress signaled that they would push back against the president's request, but the mission's future is still not a guarantee until the government opens again and passes an official budget that includes designated funding. Some people on other missions say they are feeling even less confident about their future.
FRAN BAGENAL: What the actual financial situation is is up in the air.
RIDDLE: Fran Bagenal is an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado. She works on the Juno mission, studying Jupiter. Insight into the largest planet, she says, helps us understand the formation of the entire solar system. She says she hasn't received any communication on whether or not the mission will be extended. She's heard it might be negotiated into the budget.
BAGENAL: Whether or not they actually are in or not in is speculation, as far as I can tell.
RIDDLE: Bagenal oversees a group of students who help her study the data they're receiving from Jupiter. They're using it to map the composition of the planet. They are the first ones to handle this raw data from space. She says there's no finer training for students than this real-life experience.
BAGENAL: This is the process of growing up into science and technology that has a value to society as a whole.
RIDDLE: Grant money from NASA ran out for the mission at the end of September. Bagenal says, since then, she's been using what's left of her funding to keep paying her students a stipend for this work. She believes the instability to the field, caused in part by this shutdown, is taking a toll.
BAGENAL: We are bleeding young scientists like crazy. They're leaving, going back to other countries or going into other jobs.
RIDDLE: Funding for Juno could still come through after the government reopens. NASA did not respond to an interview request for this story. Regardless, says Bagenal...
BAGENAL: Even if government opens again soon, the damage will have been done.
RIDDLE: She says this is about more than the exploration of space. It's about allowing future generations to continue to pursue their curiosities about the natural world. Katia Riddle, NPR News.
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