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How can we build a new Moon program while slashing science funding? Bill Nye takes the host’s chair alongside Chuck Nice to tackle one of the most urgent issues facing our future in space with Casey Dreier, Chief of Space Policy at @planetarysociety who’s been tracking and analyzing NASA’s funding for years.
Why are we cutting NASA’s budget in half, right when we need it most? What’s the difference between human spaceflight and scientific exploration? Bill and Casey trace NASA’s mission back to its origins in 1958, exploring how Earth observation became one of its most vital roles. What happens to climate research when we stop monitoring our planet?
What do space cuts mean for everyday life? With less than half of a percent of the federal budget going to NASA, are we really “saving” money or just shrinking our curiosity? From Mars sample return missions and the search for life to the philosophical question of whether we want to keep looking up, the team explores why exploration matters.
We confront the new space race with China, the politics behind NASA’s funding, and how ordinary citizens can make a difference. If space exploration reflects who we are as a people, the question isn’t just what’s out there, it’s what kind of future do we want to build here? Together, they unpack what these unprecedented cuts mean for science, exploration, and our place in the cosmos.
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Timestamps:
00:00 - Bill Nye Takeover
01:42 - Casey Dreier: Analyzing the NASA Budget
03:32 - Earth Science Cuts
8:30 - Why Missions Happen
13:04 - “Wasting” Money in Space
16:35 - Potential Biosignatures on Mars
22:13 - Mars Sample Return
28:54 - The Space Race with China
34:38 - Before Public Funding of Science
36:33 - Investing in the Future
48:12 - The Space Launch System
52:33 - An Antidote to Cynicism
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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