NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced on 12 October that it will reorganise its personnel by laying off around 550 workers, or 10% of its total workforce, in an effort to maintain the facility’s long-term competitiveness. JPL director Dave Gallagher emphasised in a statement that the changes were a part of a larger strategy to restructure the facility and had nothing to do with the present US government shutdown.
Gallagher stated, “All the while continuing to deliver on our vital work for NASA and the nation, this week’s action is essential to securing JPL’s future by creating a leaner infrastructure, focusing on our core technical capabilities, maintaining fiscal discipline, and positioning us to compete in the evolving space ecosystem,” according to NBC News. Technical, business, and support positions throughout the Pasadena-based facility will be impacted by the layoffs. This week, each employee will receive a unique status update.
US Administration facing Financial Crunch and Political Headwinds
However, the centre faces political and budgetary challenges, just like NASA as a whole. As part of a larger federal effort to reduce the size of the government workforce, the agency has maintained budget and staffing cuts in recent years. For many years, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is run by the California Institute of Technology and receives federal funding from NASA, has been essential to US space exploration.
It developed, constructed, and managed all five of the rovers that made a successful landing on Mars in addition to building the country’s first satellite, Explorer 1, which was launched in 1958. Since Donald Trump assumed office, around 4,000 NASA employees have already left the agency on deferred resignation plans, according to Reuters, reducing the agency’s 18,000-person workforce by nearly one-fifth. In a fresh round of layoffs announced in July, almost 2,000 senior-level employees were targeted for termination.
Trump Office Laying Off Above 4000 Federal Employees
NASA was not specifically mentioned in the wave of over 4,000 federal employees laid off by the Trump administration last week amid the protracted government shutdown, which also affected agencies including Treasury and Health and Human Services. The magnitude of JPL’s layoffs demonstrates the conflict between the need for scientific advancement and budgetary restraint.
The loss of hundreds of highly qualified employees could make project schedules and capabilities more difficult, even though the lab is working on future missions, such as Earth science study and planetary exploration. According to Gallagher, the lab is still dedicated to providing for the public and NASA. He declared, “We are sure that this realignment will improve our capacity to support the country’s leadership in space science and exploration.”
Quick Shots
•NASA’s
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to cut 550 jobs, around 10% of workforce.
•Organizational
restructuring to ensure long-term competitiveness and fiscal discipline.
•Technical,
business, and support positions at Pasadena-based facility.
•Director Dave Gallagher emphasizes
focus on core capabilities and leaner infrastructure.
Following the US government’s shutdown on October 1st due to Congress’s failure to adopt a budget or temporary funding package, NASA ceased the majority of its operations. NASA is “closed” until further notice, according to a notification on the agency’s website. The closure comes as federal agencies in Washington shut down for the first time in almost six years due to a lack of agreement among lawmakers on spending.
According to NASA, only operations necessary to safeguard people and property are still underway. This includes keeping an eye on the ISS, assisting spacecraft that are presently in use, and doing planetary defence tasks like watching asteroids. Public involvement, teaching, and research initiatives have all been put on hold.
NASA’s Social Media and Daily Updates on a Mute
According to Reuters, NASA has restricted its communications to critical notifications and stopped posting daily mission updates and social media posts. According to the Associated Press, thousands of NASA workers are currently on unpaid furlough due to the closure.
According to the New York Times, the closure would cause delays in the Artemis program, which aims to send humans back to the Moon. Until funds are restored, testing, scheduling, and logistical work have been put on hold. According to the Wall Street Journal, studies that rely on ongoing financing have been impacted by the suspension of research funded by NASA grants at colleges and labs.
Disruption may also affect contractors who work with the agency. Businesses connected to NASA’s supply chain are evaluating the effects of postponed contracts and funding shortages, according to a Bloomberg report. Similar shutdown have occurred at NASA during previous budget disagreements.
According to CNN, the 35-day government shutdown in 2018–2019 caused thousands of employees to halt work and postponed research missions. According to officials, most scientific and technological advancements are halted during these times, even as critical safety procedures continue.
Staff Left with Limited Work Option
NASA has about 18,000 employees. The majority of public servants have been told not to report to work until funding is restored, according to the Washington Post. During the time off, workers are unable to access government systems or work on their tasks.
A congressional budget standoff preceded the shutdown. Neither a short-term funding package nor a new yearly budget plan could be passed by lawmakers. Noting that essential government functions are impacted, President Joe Biden has encouraged lawmakers to break the impasse. NASA’s operations will continue to be restricted to critical safety functions until a solution is found, and all scientific, research, and exploratory initiatives will be put on hold.
Quick
Shots
•ISS monitoring, active spacecraft support, and
planetary defense continue.
•Daily mission updates and public engagement paused;
only critical alerts shared.
•Moon mission testing, scheduling, and logistics on
hold until funding resumes.
•University and lab projects funded by NASA grants
suspended.
Uncertainty surrounds the fate of a Japanese private lunar lander that lost communication on 6 June while descending to the moon.
The lander, dubbed Resilience, successfully left lunar orbit, according to Tokyo-based iSpace, but communication was lost during the hour-long descent phase. At crucial points, the company’s broadcast abruptly ended.
As Mission Control worked to reconnect, a commentator in Japanese stated that there was still no confirmation of the landing. According to a Japanese media report, one of the commentators stated in Japanese, “We haven’t been able to confirm,” and that Mission Control “will continuously attempt to communicate with the lander.”
After an unsuccessful trip two years prior, this was iSpace’s second attempt to land on the moon. As a tribute to their tenacity, the firm had given this new craft the name Resilience.
The lander carried a miniature red house made by a Swedish artist and a small rover intended to gather lunar material. Since 2019, private companies have joined government space agencies to explore the moon, with varying degrees of success.
Launched from Florida in January, Resilience travelled on Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, the first private craft to land on the moon safely earlier this year, before reaching lunar orbit.
ispace’s Lander Targeted Mare Frigoris
Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold), a crater-rich area with ancient lava flows on the moon’s northern near side, was the objective of iSpace’s lander. It was anticipated that the 2.3-metre-tall Resilience would deploy its rover over the weekend and start sending pictures soon after landing.
Tenacious, a five-kilogram rover manufactured in Europe, was made of plastic reinforced with carbon fibre. It had a shovel that NASA had commissioned and a high-definition camera. With a targeted range of up to one kilometre over a two-week operating window, the rover was intended to remain close to the lander while travelling at a modest pace of centimetres per second.
The Moonhouse, a little red residence designed by Swedish artist Mikael Genberg and intended for installation on the lunar surface, was also transported by the rover as a symbolic act. Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of iSpace, described the expedition as a first step towards next endeavours, including the development of a larger lander in collaboration with NASA for a planned trip in 2027.
Hakamada had stated his faith in the lessons learnt from the first failed mission before the landing attempt. In a statement, CFO Jumpei Nozaki reaffirmed the company’s commitment to lunar exploration “regardless of outcomes”.
However, Jeremy Fix, chief engineer of ispace’s US division, admitted the financial realities at a recent space industry conference, stating that the organisation “cannot sustain repeated failures”. Although the new mission’s cost was not made public, it was said to be less than their first, which cost more than $100 million.
Other Private Firms Pushing their Moon Mission
There are other private companies that are still striving for success. Astrobotic Technology and Blue Origin are preparing missions for the year-end. After failing to reach the moon in 2024, Astrobotic returned to Earth’s atmosphere.
Only five countries have accomplished robotic moon landings to date: the US, China, India, Japan, and Russia. With 12 NASA astronauts stepping on the moon between 1969 and 1972, the US is the only country to have landed humans.
Next year, NASA plans to send humans back into lunar orbit and use SpaceX’s Starship to make a commanded landing. Additionally, by 2030, China intends to send humans to the moon.
As his feud with President Donald Trump erupts into open warfare, Elon Musk has threatened to shut down SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, NASA’s only US astronaut carrier. This move will set off a spiralling crisis that could ground American spaceflight, derail moon missions, and jeopardise $22 billion in government contracts.
What started out as a disagreement about Trump’s tax and spending plan has turned into a high-stakes confrontation with implications for the entire country.
The CEO of SpaceX responded to Trump’s public suggestion that federal contracts with Musk’s businesses might be terminated by announcing plans to “decommission” the Dragon spacecraft, which is now NASA’s primary way of transporting humans to and from the International Space Station.
The $5 billion contract for the capsule is essential to maintaining American access to space. NASA’s orbital footprint would be reduced, and future missions would be in jeopardy if it were to depend on Russia’s ageing Soyuz spacecraft.
While providing no details, NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens stated that the agency will keep collaborating with commercial partners to make sure the president’s space goals are achieved.
NASA to Take a Massive Hit
Active contracts worth about $22 billion are at risk. These include intelligence payloads, high-priority Pentagon satellite launches, and Musk’s Starship system, which NASA has chosen to use for the Artemis III mission, which aims to land humans on the moon.
Four astronauts currently on the ISS might still fly home if Musk cancels Dragon, but NASA wouldn’t have a means to send replacements right away.
There are still delays with Boeing’s Starliner. Other options such as Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus and Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser remain untested or marginalised. Even NASA’s 2030 ISS retirement plan is currently in jeopardy. The vehicle that will safely deorbit the station is being built by SpaceX.
Experts Calling Musk Rogue
The danger posed by Musk goes well beyond low-Earth orbit. SpaceX rockets are essential to America’s upcoming moon landing, transport national security payloads, and launch secure Starlink satellites for military communications.
Timelines fall apart in their absence. According to reports, Justus Parmar, CEO of SpaceX investor Fortuna Investments, said there is little doubt it will lead to a large loss of money and missed contract possibilities.
More bluntly, former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver was cited as saying that it is unacceptable for a rogue CEO to threaten to decommission spacecraft, endangering the lives of astronauts. With a steep 14.26% drop, Tesla’s shares (TSLA) fell to $284.70, down $47.35 from its previous close of $332.05. The stock fluctuated a lot over the day, going from a low of $273.42 to a high of $324.55.
We have seen our parents use Tide to wash our dirty clothes. But, can you imagine Astronauts using Tide to wash their clothes? I know you may find this question stupid. But, this thing has turned into reality.
Tide and NASA have tied up to make a fully degradable detergent that will help Astronauts wash their clothes in space without water. Astronauts don’t have to worry about their clothes and can focus on other important things. Sounds exciting right? Keep reading this article to know more about this interesting project.
You may think that fully degradable detergent that will help washing clothes without water may not be very useful. But, you are wrong. Astronauts in space cannot wash their clothes as it would require a lot of water.
Other major challenges with the laundry system in space are compatibility with NASA life support systems and the risk that the ingredients of the detergent will cause harm to the Astronauts.
As they cannot do laundry Astronauts wear the clothes again and again. Once the clothes get stinky they are ejected with other waste to burn up in the atmosphere or sent back to Earth as trash.
Astronauts need to exercise for two hours every day. As you can imagine after doing so much exercise their clothes will get dirty easily. Due to this, they need to carry a lot of clothes while going to space. An Astronaut requires up to 68 kgs of clothes in space each year. The cargo is used to carry or store dirty clothes. The detergent will help the Astronauts save that precious cargo weight and use it for some other life-supporting gear.
How Tide Detergent will be Extremely Beneficial for Three Years Mars Mission
Most Importantly, this detergent would be extremely beneficial for a three-year Mars mission. They don’t need to carry tons of clothes with them during this long journey. Do you know Astronauts need to turn dirty laundry water into drinking water? This is because ISS has closed-loop water systems.
This means that Astronaut wastewater like sweat, urine, and moisture from their breath is captured. Then all the impurities are filtered out to turn it into water. Since the detergent will not use any water, the filtration process will not occur. Now, Astronauts don’t need to worry about filtering the dirty laundry water. NASA and Tide Detergent aim to turn this laundry water into drinking water.
How the Tide Detergent will Help to Solve Problems on Earth as well
Apart from saving the cargo storage of Astronauts if the detergent is successfully made it will have many benefits on earth as well. Most of the detergents contain ingredients that can pollute the watershed after we throw out dirty water there.
Due to this Detergent, we won’t use a lot of water. This will help us to keep Oceans, Rivers clean. A quarter of the world’s population doesn’t have enough water. The Detergent would help us to save a lot of water.
The deal with Tide and NASA is estimated to be $111,000. Tide scientists are using Machine Learning Technology and existing data to find out what things will work and what will not in space.
Detergent has not been made yet and currently, scientists are working on it. In December, as an experiment both the companies will send the detergent to the space station.
Onboard a 2022 cargo launch to the space station, “Mission PGTide” (P&G Telescience Investigation of Detergent Experiments), teams will test the stability of cleaning ingredients under microgravity conditions and exposure to the radiation levels experienced in space in partnership with the ISS U.S. National Laboratory and SEOPS.
In addition, the stain removal ingredients and performance will be tested on board the ISS through experiments with Tide To Go Wipes and Tide To Go Pens. The Astronauts will see the product’s reaction to weightlessness. In May Astronauts will receive the Stain removal pens and wipe for testing purposes.
Tide To Go Wipes and Tide To Go Pens
”Through private-sector utilization of the space station, companies like P&G can conduct investigations in ways not possible on Earth to develop new consumer products, enhance existing products, and better understand processes that further business models both on the ground and in low Earth orbit. We look forward to this first investigation of Tide in Space and hope that many more will soon follow.”, said Dr. Michael Roberts, Acting Chief Scientist for the ISS National Lab.
P&G is developing a washer-dryer combo as well. This will use less water and detergent and would work on both the Moon and Mars. On Earth, this machine will help the people living in arid regions.
Conclusion
We can all hope that the detergent and other stain removal products work and don’t disappoint the Astronauts. As told before Detergent is not yet made. If Tide and NASA successfully make these products then this would be a revolutionary thing for both the Astronauts and for the people on Earth.
We will only wait till December and May. If products are working then they will be very useful in the upcoming three-year Mars mission and for all future missions.
FAQ
Why did Tide and NASA have tied up?
Tide and NASA have tied up to make a fully degradable detergent that will help Astronauts wash their clothes in space without water.
Has Tide made the Degradable Detergent?
Detergent has not been made yet and currently, scientists are working on it.
When will the testing of Detergent and other Stain removal products be done?
In December, as an experiment both the companies will send the detergent to the space station. In May Astronauts will receive the Stain removal pens and wipe for testing purposes.
Why is Tide making a Detergent for Astronauts?
Astronauts in space cannot wash their clothes as it would require a lot of water. So, the Astronauts wear the clothes again and again. Once the clothes get stinky they are ejected with other waste to burn up in the atmosphere or sent back to Earth as trash. The Detergent would help Astronauts wash their clothes without water.
What is the estimation of the deal between Tide and NASA?
The deal with Tide and NASA is estimated to be around $111,000.
