“nasa‘s mission statement used to read ‘To understand and protect our home planet; to explore the universe and search for life; to inspire the next generation of explorers…as only nasa can.’ In Feb 2006, it was altered to delete ‘to understand and protect our home planet.’ Addressing environmental issues such as climate change was reduced substantially as a research priority. As a result of a major shift in priorities toward space exploration, nasa has been forced to cancel, delay, or descope nearly all of its planned Earth and weather satellite missions. Satellites are critical for monitoring climate change, producing weather forecasts—hurricanes in particular—and monitoring hazards such as floods and wildfires.”
Read an extended interview with Judith Curry about the Bush legacy here.
