“NASA Layoffs: What You Need to Know About the Recent Changes”

NASA has recently laid off 23 employees, including its chief scientist Katherine Calvin, a climate expert appointed by former President Joe Biden. The layoffs occurred on March 10, with NASA closing Calvin’s office, along with two others, abruptly. This move means that NASA no longer has the ability to provide its top leaders with independent science advice.

The decision to lay off these employees has sparked concern and criticism from various individuals, including U.S. Representative Zoe Lofgren, who serves as the House Committee’s ranking member on Science, Space, and Technology. Lofgren described the layoffs as “shortsighted and hugely alarming,” pointing to the potential negative impact on NASA’s ability to compete in technological races with countries like China.

Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro framed the layoffs as an opportunity to reshape the agency’s workforce in an agency-wide email. The layoffs are part of extensive cuts to the federal government by President Donald Trump, his Senior Advisor Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The closures of NASA offices, including the Office of the Chief Scientists, the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy, and the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity’s branch of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, were in compliance with executive orders to cut diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives throughout the federal government.

Critics of the layoffs, including Grant Tremblay from the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, have expressed concerns about the impact on NASA’s strategic thinking and overall capabilities. Tremblay described NASA as a legendary and globally beloved agency in American history, warning that the agency’s gutting has begun and that massive cuts could drastically change its operations in the future.

The layoffs at NASA mark the administration’s first preemptive termination of career employees, rather than those still under a probationary period. The closures of key offices within the agency have raised questions about the future direction and capabilities of NASA in the coming years.