20% Attrition and Trump Budget Pressure - NASA Faces the 'Largest Mars Landing Test in History'

[Prologue: The "Twilight" Over Kennedy Space Center]
On July 26, at 5 a.m., the sound of employee badge return boxes opening repeatedly pierced the humid Florida air. In front of the massive VAB (Vehicle Assembly Building) at Kennedy Space Center, a line of employees with suitcases formed before dawn. On this day, NASA officially announced that it had "accepted the retirement requests of up to 3,870 employees."www.ndtv.com

1. What Happened: Understanding "20%" Through Numbers

• Number of Retirees: 3,870 (Provisional)

• Remaining Employees: Approximately 14,000 (20% decrease from the previous year)

• Main Exit Methods: Early Retirement Incentives and Buyout Programs, known as the "Deferred Resignation Program"
  ReutersCBS News

Such a large-scale workforce shift surpasses the restructuring period of the Space Shuttle program in the 1980s. Behind this is the25% budget cut for NASA proposed by the Trump administration for fiscal year 2026, accompanied by a cost-cutting strategy under the guise of "efficiency."Politico

2. The Crisis of a "Brain Drain" Chain Reaction

According to internal documents obtained by the political magazine Politico, 40% of retirees are in senior technical positions ranging from GS-13 to GS-15. There is a high probability that"key mission personnel", such as those involved in Mars rover guidance software and Artemis program thermal protection material analysis, will leave.Politico

Voices from Field Engineers
"Cutting 'people' rather than experimental facilities reduces costs faster. But it takes at least 10 years to compensate for lost expertise through re-employment." (Anonymous Engineer at Johnson Space Center)

3. #SaveNASA Spreads on Social Media

Immediately after the announcement, **#SaveNASA** became the second worldwide trend on X (formerly Twitter), with 1.5 million related posts in 24 hours. The following posts were particularly widespread.

The hashtag **#DuffyDebate also emerged. Criticism is focused on Acting Administrator Sean Duffy, who took office in early July (former Secretary of Transportation, politically experienced but with no experience in aerospace engineering), with claims that **"political appointments are killing science."Top AI Tools List - OpenTools

4. "Voyager Declaration"—An Open Letter from 287 Current and Former Employees

In the **"Voyager Declaration"** released on July 21,

• Weakening of Safety Standards

• Sudden Cancellation of International Cooperation Missions

• Freezing of Science Grants Worth $120 Million

were condemned as "arbitrary actions ignoring congressional approval."The Guardian

The letter was signed by55 current employees and 4 former astronauts, including 131 named individuals and 156 anonymous signatories. This suggests a shaken trust in the "Technical Authority" system established after the 2003 Columbia disaster.

5. Project-Specific Impact Simulations

"The operational phase cannot quickly train replacement personnel. Continuous work will exhaust remaining staff, leading to a vicious cycle of further departures." —NASA Safety Audit Office Internal Memo

6. Washington vs. the Space Community

The administration emphasizes "streamlining redundant bureaucratic systems." Meanwhile, space-supporting lawmakers from both Democratic and Republican parties are aiming to restore NASA's budget as a "key to national security and industry-academia-government collaboration." The Senate has submitted a bipartisan draft of the **"Critical Aerospace Workforce Protection Act"** seeking to freeze the retirement program.

7. Ripple Effects on the Private Sector

SpaceX, Blue Origin, Boeing, and others have alreadyexpanded recruitment channels for former NASA engineers.

• SpaceX: Immediate hiring of 30 lunar lander engineers

• Blue Origin: Up to 20% signing bonus for those with GS-14 or higher experience

"While the fluidity of technology through private sector transfers is healthy, concentration poses risks. The boundary between national projects and private initiatives becomes blurred, and safety review mechanisms can't keep up." (MIT Aerospace Policy Institute)

8. The Perspective of International Partners

The European Space Agency (ESA) has declared a **"re-evaluation of the international exploration roadmap"**, considering a delay in some Artemis support payments. JAXA officials have unofficially mentioned the need to "re-discuss role distribution in manned lunar exploration."

9. Future Scenarios and Recommendations

1. Renegotiation after the final deadline for retirement procedures (August 15)

2. Passage of budget amendment in Congress → Proposal for a program to recall retirees

3. Redistribution of duties among remaining staff → Increased risk of accidents due to excessive overtime

4. Expansion of private outsourcing → Short-term cost increase, long-term flexibility improvement

5. Concept of an International Joint Operations Center → Ensuring continuity through unified safety standards

Powered by Froala Editor