The head of NASA going to the science site: "I don't see the possibility that NASA's missions to explore the Earth will be canceled"

This is what the head of NASA, until about two weeks ago, Charles Bolden, who spoke at the annual space conference in memory of Ilan Ramon that took place yesterday in Herzliya, said about the fear in the scientific community about the implementation of the recommendation of Trump's advisers to transfer the Earth exploration missions from NASA to NOAA with a sharp cut in their budget. "We explore space to better understand the Earth"

"I don't see the possibility that NASA's Earth exploration missions will be cancelled." This is what the head of NASA until about two weeks ago, Charles Bolden, said in response to the science website's question about the fear in the scientific community regarding the implementation of the recommendation of Trump's advisers to transfer the Earth exploration missions from NASA to NOAA while sharply cutting their budget. "We explore space to better understand the Earth," he said on the stage of the Ilan Ramon Space Conference held by the Ministry of Science, the Space Agency and the Fisher Institute at the Air Force Base in Herzliya.

"I don't think they are trying to cancel the Earth missions. Let's see what their position will be. We will wait to see who will be the next director of NASA. In the meantime we continue to do everything as usual with our international partners and with the academy. We continue to explore our planet and provide the data to the decision makers, so they can make the right decisions about the changing climate and other issues related to the Earth."

As for Congress, whose science committee chairman recommended transferring budget from Earth missions to scientific flights to other planets, Bolden says: "We've always had a strange relationship with Congress."

"There are many, many people all over the world who understand the importance of understanding what is happening on our planet and the changing climate. I'm sure in the long run, they will win. I'm not worried about someone hiding the information on Earth. I see no possibility that NASA's missions (to explore the Earth) will be cancelled. It is very important to people all over the world.

Everything we do off Earth is done for Earth

"One of Ilan Ramon's passions was to bring space to Earth. And make it accessible and belonging to people all over the world. Because until now only a few humans could see our planet from above. At NASA we used to say that everything we do outside of Earth is done for Earth. We focus on our missions for all humanity. Many of the technologies developed for the space program are used by all of us today. The medical experiments we did there also helped to improve the health of all people. The inspiration we give is also important, and our hard work in pushing the edge has great potential. "

"Luckily for us, technology allows everyone to see what the astronauts see our planet as a fragile ball without boundaries floating in space. Ilan Ramon said "The world looks amazing from above. So peaceful, so beautiful and so fragile. Every human being, not only in Israel, should keep it clean and good. I know that many people involved in the field of space respect Ilan Ramon's legacy."

"During my ten years as head of NASA - and I am now in my second week as a citizen - I have traveled around the world, including several times to Israel, and everywhere I go there is excitement about the future. This is especially evident among young people, so I am optimistic."

In his lecture, he criticized the cynicism of the opponents of the environmental movement, without naming names and emphasized the importance of Earth exploration as an important part of space research. "There is something unifying in the human race that explores the sky. Beyond the economic and technological benefits of launching into space, the sight of the boundless Earth from space can evoke feelings of compassion and humanity and wonder. As the English astronomer Fred Hoyle said in 1948: Once a picture of the Earth from space is available, new ideas on a historical scale will be unleashed. And indeed it happened. I believe that the first image of the blue planet from the perspective of Apollo 8 crew members returning from orbiting the moon changed the perspective of all of us on our planet and was certainly the factor that accelerated the establishment of the modern environmental movement."
"Today there are photographs from many perspectives and we can study the tremendous power of hurricanes from above. We can explore the depths of the ocean and measure the temperature of the water. We can predict the development of storms with greater accuracy. We can track water flows and shapes, and measure the condition of the Earth much better than when the first picture was taken. This will be our last stop on the journey. The more we learn about our planet and ourselves the further we travel. Ilan Ramon and the members of the Columbia team, his friends, are gone from us, but they are in our hearts and in our thoughts all the time, they are with us in the day-to-day actions we take to improve humanity by experimenting with big ideas to expand a cross-border presence and in such a cynical time - to inspire curiosity and openness to wonder."

Bolden also referred at length to two other issues that were intertwined in his lecture: NASA's relationship with Israel, especially since the Columbia disaster, and the need to encourage the younger generation to study mathematics, science and engineering.

"I am sure that our efforts will allow us to identify new projects and new directions in which we will take our partnership. As NASA administrator, I signed agreements with the Israeli Space Agency that allow us to work together for the future. Israeli technological innovation on many fronts is known throughout the world. Both countries want to make the most of what each has to offer as we explore our planet."

Indeed, the cooperation between the US and Israel has continued for decades when American and Israeli scientists and engineers work together on earth sciences, space discoveries and technology development. In the spirit of this convention, it is going to continue.

The children who study math, science, engineering and technology today will be the discoverers of tomorrow. Although my days of discovery are almost behind me and I am leaving NASA and leaving it in good hands, I will continue to engage in this important work as before. Consider that the first group that will fly to Mars is today at school, perhaps at a university like Bar Ilan University, which I had the honor of speaking to its students last year. The current generation that is graduating these days has not known a single second in its life when humans were not in space. They are less than 16 years old and for three months they have not breathed a single breath in which humans have not lived and worked on the International Space Station

We use inspiration from space to capture the imagination of the next generation and inspire people around the world. Our heritage must be the inspiration. I have been to all continents except Antarctica and everywhere I have met children who are passionate about science, collaborate with other children from all over the world and come to conferences like this.

We must prepare to meet the challenges because space exploration will always be a difficult task and carries many risks. Many men and women are knocking on our door to become the next generation of astronauts, scientists and engineers. They are the ones who will operate and fly the next generation of space vehicles, both in orbit around the Earth and in deep space. Some of them will risk an entire career and take risks in order to fly for a long time and land in another world and expand human knowledge.

A passion for discovery is what characterizes us as a human species. Ilan Ramon and his team as well as the Challenger and Apollo 1 crews paid with their lives. I believe we have achieved a lot since you left. These days, NASA commemorates all those who lost their lives during a mission in space. Last year we marked the 30th anniversary of the Challenger disaster. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 disaster and next year we will mark the 15th anniversary of the Columbia disaster. We remember on the shoulders of what giants we stand. We will go ahead and send humans throughout the solar system. We will continue to launch observation satellites that help us learn more about our planet and the changes taking place in it.

The legacy that Ilan Ramon and his teammates left us alive and vibrant. Together with the American industry we are building space transport systems of the future. With our international partners we are working to reach distant destinations such as an asteroid or Mars. Our science missions continue to spread throughout the solar system, exploring our home planet and its neighborhood and the technology we develop continues to change the world. What has characterized the last few years is the large number of countries that want to join space exploration. Small and large countries, those that have a space agency and those that don't. Any person who has a passion to engage in the fields of space can do so. What was once a space race, is today an era of international cooperation. Research in space helps us overcome humanity's problems and make life better for all of us.

As someone who lost friends and colleagues in Challenger and Columbia I can say that while time cannot heal the wounds we can continue to honor the memory of our friends, as we do today and through continued prosperity and work together in a global discovery environment. We want the next generation of Americans and Israelis to be as curious and innovative as we are today.