Is NASA closing its iconic campus in Maryland?
What's the story
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is facing a wave of building closures during the ongoing federal shutdown. The center has been instrumental in groundbreaking missions like the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes. More than a dozen buildings on the campus are being emptied and padlocked with little notice to employees, according to sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity.
Employee fears
Employees perplexed and concerned
The sudden building closures have left employees perplexed and concerned that management is moving forward with plans to make sweeping cuts before Congress passes a funding bill. In one case, the furloughed employees were given just days to return to work temporarily, and help empty entire buildings of highly specialized equipment. NASA managers warned that if the equipment wasn't moved in time, it could be thrown away or donated.
Official response
NASA responds to concerns
Responding to the concerns, a NASA spokesperson said the building closures are part of a "strategic consolidation" plan mapped out by Goddard leaders that shouldn't impact ongoing projects. However, some employees fear these sudden moves are part of an effort by President Donald Trump's administration to quietly gut the Maryland Goddard campus while the government remains unfunded. The claim has been denied by the spokesperson.
Budget concerns
Trump's proposed budget would have cut funding, workforce
Trump's proposed budget in April would have cut funding and workforce at the center, including a 42% reduction in Goddard's science staff. However, funding bills passed by congressional lawmakers since then have largely excluded the President's proposed science cuts. A Goddard engineer told CNN that "getting rid of Goddard removes the entire nation's capability to build, develop and analyze data from space science satellites."
Project implications
Concerns over impact on future projects
The changes at Goddard have raised concerns among the space agency's engineers, who fear they could lose access to equipment and facilities critical for keeping the current and future projects on track. The closures could affect the 2027 launch of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, a powerful successor to Hubble and Webb telescopes. They could also impact NASA's Dragonfly program, which aims to send a car-size helicopter to study Saturn's largest moon for signs of habitability.
Facility impact
Unique radio-proof room closure raises alarm
The closure of the ElectroMagnetic Anechoic Chamber (GEMAC), a unique radio-proof room essential for testing spacecraft antennas before launch, has also raised concerns. Components for NASA's Davinci mission were set to be tested in GEMAC. A source noted that closing this facility would have far broader implications, hurting untold numbers of current and future projects because its design allows testing large pieces of communications equipment that wouldn't fit in other facilities.
Legal concerns
Potential violation of federal law?
In light of the situation, some employees have raised concerns that shuttering offices and ordering furloughed workers to return to work could violate the Antideficiency Act (ADA). The ADA is a federal law that impacts how shutdowns should be carried out. A NASA spokesperson said "two exceptions were approved to maintain our schedule for facility movements throughout the shutdown." However, over 100 office space moves have been put on hold until government reopens.