The partial shut-down of the US government began today after the two houses of Congress failed to agree on a new budget. The shut-down means that over 700,000 “non-essential” federal employees will face an unpaid leave until the government can reach an agreement. Anything but the key governmental functions – such as military, air traffic control and border security – will be drastically reduced or completely closed.
One of the hardest-hit federal agencies is NASA. Only around 600 of its more than 18,000 employees will be able to continue working. This includes essential staff at the Houston Mission Control Center, who support the six astronauts and cosmonauts currently at the International Space Station. “To protect the life of the crew as well as the assets themselves, we would continue to support planned operations of the ISS during any funding hiatus,” NASA’s CFO Elizabeth Robinson commented on the effects of the shut-down.
No new discoveries are to be expected while the shut-down lasts. The Curiosity rover that just last week found water on Mars has been put to sleep until the Congress can settle their dispute. The Hubble Telescope will continue its space observation, sending back stunning images such as this one – but nobody will be there to analyse them. Even NASA’s Asteroid Watch Twitter account has gone silent.
The first government shut-down in 17 years also affects other science projects and agencies. For instance, the National Science Foundation has stopped making any research fund payments, and the majority of the staff of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are forced to stay at home. All National Parks and museums are closed, including the National Zoo’s beloved “Panda cam,” which before today streamed live footage of the Zoo’s newborn panda cub.
