NASA Jettisons’ climate consultant, DEI branch and other space programs procrastination – get along with this?

Upon the law

The real space mission is back on the menu!

Posted by Leslie Eastman

The last time I wrote about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), agency staff were begging President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, to “Cleaning House” for “Insider revealed that the agency wasted millions of taxpayers’ currency, fairness and share (equality and inclusion (dei) programs in millions of taxpayers.

Their wish has been awarded less than 100 days in Trump's second semester.

NASA's acting director Janet Petro announced the move on Monday, announcing a memorandum to staff members obtained by the U.S. today, calling it a “gradual reduction” that was “advanced” on Thursday's deadline for agencies to submit a deadline to the government's human resources department.

The memorandum did not disclose how many NASA jobs would be laid off.

Cuts will close NASA's Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy; the Office of Chief Scientists; the memorandum says diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within the office of equal opportunities. The agency will also reduce the workforce of diversified and balanced opportunities offices.

Mainstream media may denounce the axe of the “chief scientist”, but the “scientist” is actually a climate consultant.

The real space mission is back on the menu:

The cuts will affect about 20 NASA employees, including Katherine Calvin, chief scientist and climate science expert. The last day of work for Dr. Calvin and other staff members is April 10.

This could be a deeper omen of NASA's scientific missions and a greater emphasis on human space flight, especially Mars. In President Trump's speech to Congress last week, he said: “We will lead humans into space and plant the American flag on Mars, even far beyond it.”

Change! ! ! ! !

NASA Chief Scientist Katherine Calvin

Change Signals Potential NASA Turns From Climate Science to Human Space Flight

Military also cuts over 90 studies, labeled “climate change nonsense”, by Defense SEC HEGSETHHTPS://T.CO/7BG6DDH17C

— George P (@princegeorgek) March 11, 2025

Diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) branches and another division are also being closed.

Meanwhile, the NASA Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy was established only in 2021 and serves as home to the Space Agency’s chief economist and chief technician who provide managers with “providing analytical, strategic and decision-making insights to managers” in the form of rapid analytics, memos and reports.

NASA's third office is the goal of coordinating the agency's DEIA efforts, which is also the most surprising, as President Donald Trump's administration announced that it would eliminate such efforts from the entire administration.

The news is probably most interesting, that it is the agency’s first round of layoffs, while the firingers target senior leaders.

These are NASA's first shots since Trump took office, and over the past few weeks, they have taken a different pattern to other federal agencies.

NASA has seen larger probation employees from other agencies for unknown reasons, as they have survived other agencies because they have been in the position for less than two years.

The move makes NASA the first institution led by the current Trump administration, with a preemptive shooting professional employee, earlier than many observers expected. It is unclear whether other agencies may follow NASA's leadership.

NASA's labor reduction has begun.

The closed departments include the positions of chief scientists; the Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy; and its Dei branch of the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity.

As their senior climate leadership demonstrates the door, it will… pic.twitter.com/IA0OGV9RIC

— Chris Martz (@chrismartzwx) March 11, 2025

Legal Rebellion readers may remember that Trump chose billionaires, astronauts and the hero of the “Polaris” mission Jared Isaacman led NASA. His confirmation is still in the U.S. Senate and there is no regular hearing date.

I doubt Isaacman will find a very refocused institution on his first day as NASA director.