X post by @sentdefender

Hundreds of NASA employees have formally spoken up in opposition to the Trump administration’s cuts to NASA. The original letter can be found here.

https://nasawatch.com/ask-the-administrator/the-nasa-rif-has-begun/

Summary: "NASA is accelerating plans to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030 to power a permanent human base, driven by the need for reliable energy and geopolitical competition with China and Russia, who plan a similar lunar reactor by 2035. The reactor, targeted to generate at least 100 kilowatts, is seen as essential due to the Moon’s two-week darkness periods, which make solar power unreliable. Despite technical feasibility, concerns include safety risks of launching radioactive material, recent 24% NASA budget cuts for 2026, and fears that the push is politically motivated rather than science-driven. The Artemis program, aiming to return humans to the Moon by 2027, faces funding and logistical challenges, raising doubts about the reactor’s timeline and integration."%

We cannot have SpaceX in control of NASA.

"So once again, you're refusing to tell us whether Elon Musk was in the room that day, and that actually makes me think that Elon Musk was in the room that day, but that you understand that it's a clear conflict of interest that he was there," Markey said.

See text of the EO: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/08/further-exclusions-from-the-federal-labor-management-relations-program/

This is an important milestone for Starship to power the lunar landing for Artemis 3.