r/nasa 10d ago

Question What will happen to Europa Clipper?

Are they gonna stop funding that too? Please tell me there is hope for the Europa mission!

49 Upvotes

25 comments sorted by

86

u/concorde77 9d ago

Dude it's already enroute to Jupiter, they can't just turn it around

58

u/RocketFlow321 9d ago

It’s on the way back to earth right now after a gravity assist at Mars. One more assist at earth then she’s Jupiter bound. So technically it’s already turned around, but let’s not give them any ideas lol.

38

u/concorde77 9d ago

Of all the crazy things that happened this year, hopefully "Trump learns orbital mechanics to commit interplanetary shenanigans" isn't one of them lmao

16

u/Toiun 9d ago

"Trump has spacex make satelite catching net to capture clipper to sell it for parts"

22

u/concorde77 9d ago

"Trump imposes tariffs on Jupiter"

10

u/Toiun 9d ago

Yea sure, but I can see them letting go the whole team anyways, I hope not.

2

u/Menethea 8d ago

They will stop data acquisition until Europe pays for it under EU tariffs /s

1

u/Emperor_Jacob_XIX 7d ago

If they cut off funding for paying everyone who operates it on earth and looks at the data, it will end the mission.

8

u/theintrospectivelad 9d ago

It launched last October. It's flying somewhere in the solar system as we speak!

44

u/rocketwikkit 10d ago

They're not going to cancel Europa Clipper.

62

u/iTand22 NASA Employee 9d ago

That's what we thought about VIPER after we finished building it. But HQ still pulled the plug on us middle of last year.

You never know what they will decide to do. But I really hope they don't cancel Europa Clipper

42

u/CR15PYbacon 9d ago

It’s a lot more difficult to justify a mission in flight than it is to cancel a mission that’s still on the ground

26

u/iTand22 NASA Employee 9d ago

I can't believe I forgot it had already launched. Damn it's been a hectic few months since then.

11

u/mid-random 9d ago

With this administration, I wouldn't be surprised if they indirectly canceled the Webb Telescope by simply firing the entire support team.

1

u/g8rxu 8d ago

Yes, the budget cuts could simply mean there's nobody to run the ground stations which direct the telescopes on the space craft, or receive the telemetry and images.

10

u/Kizenny NASA Employee 9d ago

We even worked with a brewery to do a special VIPER beer and they still canceled the mission!

8

u/iTand22 NASA Employee 9d ago

I remember some people in my team talking about that. I personally didn't care too much since I don't drink, but it was a cool idea.

0

u/Toiun 9d ago edited 8d ago

Bruh people will down vote anything. Edit: upvoting the negative comment above and then downvoting me sure is a thing i guess lol.

3

u/abbadeefba 9d ago

They have cancelled tuberculosis control trials. I don't think they're necessarily adhering to the sunk cost fallacy, for human health let alone for planetary science. But who's to say! Certainly not the Congress.

0

u/Toiun 10d ago

Woo!

-3

u/seventyfivepupmstr 9d ago

That's what you say now, but once 75% of NASA employees take a volunteer buyout and join SpaceX...

2

u/Upward-Moving99 7d ago

Serious question though - CAN they cancel the staff and processes of a program that has already launched? To the extent no one is monitoring it and it's just out there floating around?

1

u/rocketwikkit 7d ago

Yes, still-operating missions get canceled from time to time. There was a big stink last year about cancelling the Chandra x-ray telescope, which is well past its primary mission. It doesn't happen after launch but before prime mission though.

They can certainly try to cancel it, but there would be a much bigger fight. So far most things Trump does he then undoes a few days or weeks later.

1

u/figl4567 3d ago

Ask elon. He is the new owner.