'NASA is under attack.' Space agency employees and lawmakers protest mass layoffs, science cuts amid budget turmoil
“NASA受到攻击了。”航天局员工和立法者抗议预算动荡中的大规模裁员和科学削减
WASHINGTON — NASA scientists and engineers are demanding Congress help turn down the heat on an agency whose current leadership, they say, is burning down American dominance in space and science.
华盛顿——美国宇航局的科学家和工程师要求国会帮助降低对该机构的压力，他们说，该机构目前的领导层正在烧毁美国在太空和科学领域的主导地位。
A group of NASA employees, contractors, their families, friends and other supporters gathered across from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum on July 20 — the anniversary of humanity's historic first landing on the moon. Nearly 100 showed up Sunday to protest deep budget cuts and mass layoffs within the nation's space agency, and to urge Congress to take expedient action to reverse or minimize further losses.
7月20日，一群NASA员工、承包商、他们的家人、朋友和其他支持者聚集在史密森尼国家航空航天博物馆对面，这是人类历史性的首次登月周年纪念日。周日，近100人出席，抗议国家航天局的大幅预算削减和大规模裁员，并敦促国会采取权宜行动，扭转或尽量减少进一步的损失。
"We are here because NASA is under attack," said one of the protest's organizers, NASA contract employee Marshall Finch. "And we are its defense."
“我们来这里是因为NASA受到了攻击，”抗议活动的组织者之一、NASA合同工马歇尔·芬奇说。“而我们是它的防御者。”
Just days earlier, lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives' Committee on Science, Space, and Technology published a scathing letter to interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, accusing agency leadership of acting outside its legal authority by enacting extensive cuts before a final budget is passed.
就在几天前，美国众议院科学、空间和技术委员会的立法者发表了一封致美国宇航局临时局长肖恩·达菲的措辞严厉的信，指责该机构领导层在最终预算通过之前进行大规模削减，超出了其法律权限。
Protesters, including the ad hoc organizing group called NASA Needs Help, gathered to sound the alarm over what they view as broad, preemptive overcompliance with President Donald Trump's 2026 budget proposal, which slashes NASA's science portfolio by roughly 50% — a cut that would cancel more than 40 current and upcoming space missions. While the budget proposal continues to make its way through Congress, NASA officials at the very top of agency leadership seem to have already begun implementing cuts, notifying employees and contractors of impending reductions in force (RIFs) and encouraging people to take advantage of the government's Deferred Resignation Program (DRP).
包括名为NASA Needs Help的特设组织团体在内的抗议者聚集在一起，对他们认为唐纳德·特朗普总统2026年预算提案的广泛、先发制人的过度遵守敲响了警钟，该提案将NASA的科学投资组合削减了约50%，这一削减将取消40多项当前和即将进行的太空任务。虽然预算提案继续在国会获得通过，但美国宇航局最高层的官员似乎已经开始实施削减，通知员工和承包商即将裁员(RIF)，并鼓励人们利用政府的延期辞职计划(DRP)。
"They are telling everybody below them to take the Deferred Resignation Program now. To jump ship," said Finch. "This is going to weaken NASA, and it's going to weaken the United States."
“他们告诉他们下面的每个人现在就接受延期辞职计划。跳槽，”芬奇说。“这将削弱美国宇航局，也将削弱美国。”
Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-California) and Valerie Foushee (D-North Carolina) of the House Science Committee sent a letter to interim Administrator Duffy on July 16 in which they, too, expressed concern that the agency was treating Trump's budget request as enacted law.
众议院科学委员会众议员佐伊·洛夫格伦（加利福尼亚州民主党人）和瓦莱丽·福希（北卡罗来纳州民主党人）于7月16日致信临时行政长官达菲，他们在信中也对该机构将特朗普的预算请求视为已颁布的法律表示担忧。
"It now appears that the agency intends to implement funding cuts that were never enacted by Congress in order to 'align' the agency's present-day budget with the Trump Administration's slash-and-burn proposed budget for the next fiscal year, with seemingly no concern for the devastation that will be caused by mass layoffs, widespread program terminations and the possible closure of critical centers and facilities," the letter stated.
“现在看来，该机构打算实施国会从未颁布的资金削减，以便使该机构目前的预算与特朗普政府下一财年的大刀阔斧的拟议预算‘保持一致’，而似乎并不担心大规模裁员、广泛的项目终止以及关键中心和设施可能关闭将造成的破坏，”信中写道。
"A presidential budget request is just that: a request to Congress," Lofgren and Foushee wrote in the letter. "The notion that any executive branch agency would unilaterally take steps to implement a budget proposal before its budget is enacted by Congress is therefore offensive to our constitutional system. It would be illegal."
“总统预算请求就是这样：向国会提出的请求，”洛夫格伦和福希在信中写道。“因此，任何行政部门机构在国会颁布预算之前单方面采取措施实施预算提案的想法都是对我们宪法体系的冒犯。这将是非法的。”
NASA is opting to keep the political back-and-forth between the agency and lawmakers, for the time being.
美国宇航局选择暂时保持该机构和立法者之间的政治来回。
"NASA will handle legislative matters and letters from elected officials directly with the addressing parties," NASA officials told Space.com in an emailed statement on July 23.
NASA官员在7月23日的一份电子邮件声明中告诉Space.com：“NASA将直接与收件人处理立法事务和民选官员的信件。”
The space agency disputed one of the lawmakers' claims — specifically, that NASA leadership had directed at-risk programs to cease public communications regarding mission accomplishments.
航天局对立法者的一项说法提出了质疑——具体来说，即美国宇航局领导层已指示有风险的项目停止有关任务成就的公开沟通。
"The statement from House Democrats in their letter to Secretary Duffy, alleging that 'NASA Chief of Staff Brian Hughes appears to have recently ordered scientific missions slated for termination in the FY26 PBR [fiscal year 2026 presidential budget request] to stop issuing press releases celebrating new results and scientific achievements,' is unsubstantiated and untrue," NASA Press Secretary Bethany Stevens told Space.com. "This is false and it is not the policy."
“众议院民主党人在给达菲部长的信中发表声明，声称‘NASA参谋长布莱恩·休斯最近似乎下令在2026财年PBR（2026财年总统预算请求）中终止的科学任务停止发布庆祝新成果和科学成就的新闻稿’未经证实且不真实，”NASA新闻秘书贝瑟尼·史蒂文斯(Bethany Stevens)告诉Space.com。“这是错误的，也不是政策。”
NASA officials did not comment on other assertions made in the letter.
美国宇航局官员没有对信中的其他说法发表评论。
Protesters at the July 20 demonstration, which coincided with the 54th anniversary of NASA's Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969, echoed Lofgren and Foushee's concern. They worried that by the time Congress acts, the damage to NASA may be irreversible.
7月20日的示威活动恰逢美国宇航局1969年阿波罗11号登月54周年，抗议者呼应了洛夫格伦和福希的担忧。他们担心，当国会采取行动时，对NASA的损害可能是不可逆转的。
Congress is pushing back on the proposed cuts, with the Senate Appropriations Committee advancing a measure to fund NASA at a level comparable to fiscal year 2025, and there is apparent bipartisan support for maintaining the space agency's science programs. But many who showed up at the demonstration worried that lawmakers' actions may come too late.
国会正在抵制拟议的削减，参议院拨款委员会正在推进一项措施，以与2025财年相当的水平为NASA提供资金，两党显然支持维持航天局的科学项目。但许多出席示威活动的人担心立法者的行动可能来得太晚。
"Congress says they want to save NASA," Finch said. "Let's see them do it now … Let's see them fight."
“国会说他们想拯救美国宇航局，”芬奇说。“现在就看他们动手……看他们打架。”
Meanwhile, protesters described a rising sense of fear and uncertainty within NASA. Many said they feel demoralized by mounting pressure to leave under the DRP and the abrupt departures of their colleagues who already have. As they watch many of their coworkers resign, protesters worry that critical institutional knowledge is leaving with them.
与此同时，抗议者描述了美国宇航局内部日益增长的恐惧和不确定感。许多人表示，由于DRP下越来越大的离职压力以及已经离职的同事突然离职，他们感到士气低落。当抗议者看着许多同事辞职时，他们担心关键的机构知识正在离开他们。
Julie, who, like other protesters interviewed by Space.com, asked that her full name be omitted, also helped organize the demonstration. She thinks these personnel losses could have deeper implications, and used NASA's Office of the Chief Knowledge Officer as an example. "That was set up after [the] Columbia and Challenger [space shuttle disasters] to make sure that we were passing any lessons learned on to the entire community," Julie explained.
朱莉和Space.com采访的其他抗议者一样，要求省略自己的全名，她也帮助组织了这次示威。她认为这些人员损失可能会产生更深层次的影响，并以NASA首席知识官办公室为例。朱莉解释说：“这是在哥伦比亚号和挑战者号航天飞机灾难后建立的，以确保我们将学到的经验教训传递给整个社区。”
"Watching all of this brain drain leave without any kind of backup plan at all, any kind of structure, has been just the most depressing thing. I can kind of see another Challenger, another Columbia happening down the road as a result of this, and it will ultimately be blamed back on us," she told Space.com.
“看着所有这些人才流失在没有任何后备计划、任何结构的情况下离开，这是最令人沮丧的事情。我可以看到另一个挑战者、另一个哥伦比亚号因此而诞生，最终将归咎于我们，”她告诉Space.com。
"That knowledge isn't being passed on in any way. So we're going to see the effects of that sooner rather than later," Julie added. She was one of several protest attendees who voiced such sentiments, warning of potential disaster on par with the space shuttle accidents.
“这些知识没有以任何方式传递。所以我们迟早会看到它的影响，”朱莉补充道。她是表达这种观点的几名抗议参与者之一，警告可能会发生类似航天飞机事故的灾难。
The droves of departures at NASA have also fueled some of the urgency that motivated many to attend the weekend's demonstration.
美国宇航局的大批离开也加剧了一些紧迫感，促使许多人参加周末的示威活动。
"It's been the hardest to watch all that knowledge slip away," Julie said. "And that really kind of emboldens people to take a little bit of extra risk to come out with something like this on the weekend."
“看着所有这些知识溜走是最难的，”朱莉说。“这确实鼓励人们冒一点额外的风险，在周末推出这样的东西。”
Every protester who spoke at the demonstration, and with Space.com, on Sunday stressed that their actions and remarks were not representative of NASA or their respective contract employers. Even the planning for the July 20 event was carefully and purposefully done outside employees' working hours, organizers said.
周日，在示威活动中发言的每一位抗议者以及Space.com都强调，他们的行为和言论并不代表NASA或他们各自的合同雇主。组织者表示，就连7月20日活动的策划也是在员工工作时间之外精心、有目的地完成的。
"A lot of people here, I think, are pretty scared of any blowback on them at work," another protester, Will, told Space.com. Will indicated that he previously worked for NASA, or a NASA contractor, but that is no longer the case.
“我认为，这里的很多人都非常害怕在工作中受到任何负面影响，”另一位抗议者威尔告诉Space.com。威尔表示，他以前为美国宇航局工作，或美国宇航局的承包商，但现在不再是这样了。
The internal climate at the space agency has undergone a dramatic shift this year, with a sense of suspicion guarding people's interactions. "There's a little bit more distrust than there was before, even within the community," Julie said.
航天局的内部气氛今年发生了巨大的转变，人们的互动充满了怀疑。“即使在社区内部，人们的不信任也比以前多了一些，”朱莉说。
The majority of protesters in attendance Sunday work at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Goddard is one of two space agency facilities in the D.C. area, the other being NASA Headquarters. NASA Needs Help organizers held their first protest outside the agency's headquarters on June 30.
周日出席的大多数抗议者在马里兰州的美国宇航局戈达德太空飞行中心工作。戈达德是华盛顿地区的两个航天局设施之一，另一个是美国宇航局总部。美国宇航局需要帮助组织者于6月30日在该机构总部外举行了第一次抗议活动。
Uneasiness within the space agency is particularly evident at Goddard. Approximately 10,000 employees work at the Maryland facility, either through contractors or for NASA directly. In addition to program and workforce cuts in the White House budget proposal, "passback" documents sent to the space agency in April also suggest shuttering Goddard completely.
航天局内部的不安在戈达德尤为明显。大约有10,000名员工在马里兰工厂工作，他们要么通过承包商工作，要么直接为NASA工作。除了白宫预算提案中的项目和劳动力削减外，四月份发送给航天局的“回传”文件也建议完全关闭戈达德。
"Our management, our administration, is doing everything they can to break our will, to make us give up, to make us go do other things," decried one NASA engineer, who asked to remain anonymous, during the protest. "I'm here today because I fear for our astronauts' lives as we lose more and more expertise, and the technical expertise that we need to send them safely on their mission," she said.
“我们的管理层，我们的政府，正在尽一切努力破坏我们的意志，让我们放弃，让我们去做其他事情，”一位要求匿名的美国宇航局工程师在抗议期间谴责道。她说：“我今天来到这里是因为我担心我们的宇航员的生命安全，因为我们失去了越来越多的专业知识，以及我们安全地将他们送上任务所需的技术专业知识。”
"Normally, supervisors say, 'Stay, we need you. You're an expert in your field. We want you to stay.' But right now, the civil servants at the top — that is people like Brian Hughes, like Goddard Center [Director] Mackenzie Lystrup, many more names, they are telling everybody below them to take the Deferred Resignation Program now," Finch told demonstrators.
“通常情况下，主管会说，‘留下来，我们需要你。你是你所在领域的专家。我们希望你留下来。’但现在，高层公务员——像布莱恩·休斯这样的人，像戈达德中心[主任]麦肯齐·利斯特鲁普，还有更多的人，他们告诉他们下面的每个人现在都接受延期辞职计划，”芬奇告诉示威者。
After nearly half a year of warnings about impending RIFs, some in management positions are beginning to take their own advice. According to a Politico report, over 2,000 senior leadership staff are expected to resign from the space agency to take advantage of the DRP initiatives. That includes aforementioned Goddard Center Director Mackenzie Lystrup.
在对即将到来的RIF发出近半年的警告后，一些管理职位的人开始采纳自己的建议。根据Politico的一份报告，预计将有2000多名高级领导人员从航天局辞职，以利用DRP计划。这包括前面提到的戈达德中心主任麦肯齐·利斯特鲁普。
One day after NASA employees held their protest, Lystrup announced her resignation. Her abrupt departure intensifies concerns about the state of NASA's leadership, which currently seems more disjointed than ever.
NASA员工举行抗议活动一天后，Lystrup宣布辞职。她的突然离职加剧了人们对美国宇航局领导层状况的担忧，目前美国宇航局领导层似乎比以往任何时候都更加脱节。
This could be seen during an Artemis Accords ceremony on Thursday (July 24), at which the ambassador of Senegal and other Senegalese officials added their signatures to the growing list of countries committed to the safe, collaborative exploration of the moon and deep space.
这可以在周四（7月24日）的阿耳忒弥斯协议仪式上看到，在仪式上，塞内加尔大使和其他塞内加尔官员在越来越多的致力于安全、合作探索月球和深空的国家名单上签名。
Absent from those proceedings was interim NASA Administrator Duffy. Duffy was unexpectedly appointed to the post on July 9 through an announcement by Trump on his Truth Social platform. Duffy, who already serves as Secretary of Transportation, is now wearing both hats. Since his appointment, he has made no public remarks about his NASA role other than a small handful of supportive posts to a newly-created X account focused on his position at the space agency.
美国宇航局临时局长达菲没有出席这些会议。7月9日，特朗普在其Truth Social平台上宣布，达菲出人意料地被任命为该职位。已经担任交通部长的达菲现在身兼两职。自被任命以来，除了在新创建的X帐户上发布少量支持帖子外，他没有就自己在NASA的角色发表过任何公开言论，该帐户专注于他在航天局的职位。
Prior to 2025, many Artemis Accord signing ceremonies included past NASA Administrators Bill Nelson or Jim Bridenstine. Rather than Duffy, NASA Chief of Staff Brian Hughes oversaw Senegal's signing on Thursday. Also not in apparent attendance were Acting NASA Associate Administrator Vanessa Wyche and NASA Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails, both of whom, like Duffy, sit above Hughes in the NASA leadership hierarchy. Duffy did offer a retweet of NASA's post on X about the event.
在2025年之前，许多阿耳忒弥斯协议签署仪式包括前任NASA局长比尔·纳尔逊或吉姆·布里登斯汀。周四，美国宇航局参谋长布莱恩·休斯代替达菲监督了塞内加尔的签约。同样没有出席的还有美国宇航局代理副局长凡妮莎·怀奇和美国宇航局副副局长凯西·斯韦尔斯，他们都和达菲一样，在美国宇航局的领导层中位于休斯之上。达菲确实转发了NASA在X上关于该事件的帖子。
Circulating amongst NASA employees in the background leading up to the July 20 demonstration, another letter to Duffy communicated a similar message as that from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
在7月20日演示之前，另一封写给达菲的信在NASA员工中流传，传达了与科学、空间和技术委员会类似的信息。
The Voyager Declaration was published July 21 as a formal statement protesting the proposed science cuts and preemptive actions already enacted by NASA leadership. The letter was signed by nearly 300 current and former NASA employees, 150 of whom chose to do so anonymously, "due to the culture of fear of retaliation cultivated by this administration," the letter states.
旅行者宣言于7月21日发表，作为一份正式声明，抗议美国宇航局领导层已经制定的科学削减和先发制人的行动。这封信由近300名NASA现任和前任员工签名，其中150人选择匿名签名，“由于本届政府培养了害怕报复的文化”，信中称。
"Major programmatic shifts at NASA must be implemented strategically so that risks are managed carefully," it states. "Instead, the last six months have seen rapid and wasteful changes which have undermined our mission and caused catastrophic impacts on NASA's workforce." Their grievances were listed in the letter (included verbatim):
报告指出：“美国宇航局的重大计划转变必须从战略上实施，以便谨慎管理风险。”“相反，过去六个月发生了快速且浪费的变化，这些变化破坏了我们的使命，并对NASA的员工队伍造成了灾难性影响。”信中列出了他们的不满（逐字收录）：
We dissent to changes to NASA's Technical Authority capacities that are driven by anything other than safety and mission assurance.
我们反对美国宇航局技术权威能力的改变，这种改变是由安全和任务保证以外的任何东西驱动的。
We dissent to the closing out of missions for which Congress has appropriated funding.
我们反对关闭国会拨款的任务。
We dissent to implementing indiscriminate cuts to NASA science and aeronautics research.
我们反对不分青红皂白地削减美国宇航局的科学和航空研究。
We dissent to NASA's non-strategic staffing reductions.
我们不同意NASA的非战略性裁员。
We dissent to canceling NASA participation in international missions.
我们反对取消美国宇航局参与国际任务。
We dissent to the termination of NASA contracts and grants for reasons unrelated to performance.
我们不同意以与绩效无关的原因终止NASA的合同和拨款。
We dissent to the elimination of programs aimed at developing and supporting NASA's workforce.
我们反对取消旨在发展和支持NASA劳动力的项目。
Protesters at the July 20 demonstration warned of broader impacts that such substantial cuts could have on the public at large. NASA contract employees Justin and Madeline said they attended the protest to raise awareness about all the contributions to society that have come from NASA research and innovations.
7月20日示威活动中的抗议者警告称，如此大幅削减可能会对广大公众产生更广泛的影响。美国宇航局合同工贾斯汀和玛德琳表示，他们参加抗议活动是为了提高人们对美国宇航局研究和创新对社会的所有贡献的认识。
"A lot of the stuff we have on Earth, like our cell phones, hurricane coverage, that's all because of NASA. And defunding NASA means defunding all of that and making life worse for everyone," Justin told Space.com. "And I don't think a lot of people realize that."
贾斯汀告诉Space.com：“我们在地球上拥有的很多东西，比如我们的手机、飓风报道，都是因为NASA。取消对NASA的资助意味着取消对所有这些的资助，让每个人的生活变得更糟。”“我认为很多人都没有意识到这一点。”
NASA employee Ben put much of NASA's contributions into perspective by breaking down the numbers:
NASA员工Ben通过分解数字来透视NASA的大部分贡献：
"In 2023-2024, for every dollar that NASA got in tax revenue, NASA generated $3 in economic output in the United States. Our actual budget was $25 billion and we generated $75 billion from that $25 billion. We generated 300,000 jobs across the country … And setting all of that aside, what about things you can't put a price on?"
“2023-2024年，NASA每获得1美元的税收收入，NASA就为美国创造了3美元的经济产出。我们的实际预算是250亿美元，我们从这250亿美元中创造了750亿美元。我们在全国创造了30万个就业岗位……抛开所有这些不谈，那些无法定价的事情呢？”
His $75 billion output figure, while a reasonable estimate, is not yet confirmed. NASA has not released full economic impact reports for 2023 or 2024.
他750亿美元的产出数字虽然是一个合理的估计，但尚未得到证实。NASA尚未发布2023年或2024年的完整经济影响报告。
Ben cited examples of NASA spinoff technology — advances in lasers developed by scientists building the James Webb Space Telescope are helping doctors perform eye surgeries on Earth, and innovations from the Hubble Space Telescope have contributed to mammogram imaging and technology used at hardware stores to match paint colors.
本举了美国宇航局衍生技术的例子——建造詹姆斯·韦伯太空望远镜的科学家开发的激光进步正在帮助医生在地球上进行眼科手术，哈勃太空望远镜的创新为乳房X光成像和五金店用于匹配油漆颜色的技术做出了贡献。
"None of this stuff even is accounted for in that three-to-one benefit that NASA generates directly to the economy," Ben said. "Why, pray tell, in the name of efficiency, so called, is NASA the place you want to start slashing funding from?"
本说：“美国宇航局直接为经济带来的三比一的利益中甚至没有考虑到这些因素。”“为什么，请告诉我，以所谓的效率的名义，你想从NASA开始削减资金？”
"There's a lot of inventions that NASA has, if not created, at least catalyzed," Will told Space.com. "If we zero out so many things, no longer are we going to have the great leap for mankind that Armstrong is so famously talking about."
威尔告诉Space.com：“NASA即使没有创造，也至少催化了很多发明。”“如果我们把这么多东西归零，我们就不会再有阿姆斯特朗著名地谈论的人类的伟大飞跃。”
Julie echoed those sentiments, highlighting not a mission, but a whole department on the chopping block: NASA's Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). "OSTEM has been zeroed out completely," she said. "That not only has an effect on what we do at NASA in terms of workforce development, but also kids across the entire country won't have access to those programs, won't have access to scholarships that let them go on to grad school and let them learn other things."
朱莉呼应了这些观点，强调的不是一项任务，而是砧板上的整个部门：NASA STEM参与办公室(OSTEM)。“奥斯特姆已经完全归零，”她说。“这不仅会影响我们NASA在劳动力发展方面的工作，而且全国各地的孩子都将无法参加这些项目，无法获得让他们继续读研究生的奖学金。学校并让他们学习其他东西。”
Another protester, who asked to be identified only as "MC", has worked as a teacher across a wide field of age ranges and learning abilities. "Every place I've ever taught, or every program I've ever supported — everybody needs science," she said. "Every curriculum I've ever developed had science … Science of all kinds is incredibly important. And space — space is where we're going."
另一名抗议者要求只被称为“MC”，他曾在不同的年龄范围和学习能力领域担任教师。“我教过的每个地方，或者我支持过的每个项目——每个人都需要科学，”她说。“我开发的每一门课程都有科学……各种科学都非常重要。而太空——太空就是我们要去的地方。”
One protester, who identified herself as the mother of a NASA employee, stressed the value of empowering the next generation. "It's very important that our kids have their dreams and reach those dreams," she said. "If NASA is cut the way it is, STEM education is cut, science is cut, research is cut — we won't have kids who have dreams anymore."
一名自称是美国宇航局一名雇员母亲的抗议者强调了赋予下一代权力的价值。“我们的孩子拥有自己的梦想并实现这些梦想非常重要，”她说。“如果NASA像现在这样被削减，STEM教育被削减，科学被削减，研究被削减——我们将不再有有梦想的孩子。”
George is part of a team responsible for testing spacecraft at Goddard. He attended Sunday's protest alongside his wife and three daughters. "Goddard is looking at basically being shut down, and we have a whole bunch of people that know how to build individual, specific scientific spacecraft," he told Space.com. "If we lose that [technical knowledge], it's gone."
乔治是戈达德负责测试航天器的团队的一员。他与妻子和三个女儿一起参加了周日的抗议活动。“戈达德正在考虑基本上被关闭，我们有一大群人知道如何建造单独的、特定的科学航天器，”他告诉Space.com。“如果我们失去了[技术知识]，它就消失了。”
"Where are we going to learn how to do that again?" George added. "Are we going to have to have another Challenger moment to learn how to do that again? Maybe."
“我们去哪里学习如何再次做到这一点？”乔治补充道。“我们是否还需要另一个挑战者时刻来学习如何再次做到这一点？也许吧。”
George's daughters said they wanted to attend the protest to support their father. "It's his job, so obviously that's important to us," his eldest, 15, said. But she's also worried about what the future might look like if science takes a backseat at the space agency.
乔治的女儿们说，她们想参加抗议活动来支持她们的父亲。“这是他的工作，所以显然这对我们很重要，”他15岁的大儿子说。但她也担心，如果科学在航天局退居二线，未来会是什么样子。
"I think that we should also be concerned about science over the future generations," she said, calling the budget's potential ramifications a "big loss."
“我认为我们还应该关心子孙后代的科学，”她说，并称预算的潜在影响是“巨大损失”。
Job security is on the forefront of many NASA employees and contractors, many of whom have already received notice that their mission is at "high risk" of cancellation. Justin hasn't received such a notice yet, but says the mission he works on studies climate change by measuring ice caps, "so I am assuming a couple things here," he said.
工作保障是许多NASA员工和承包商的首要任务，他们中的许多人已经收到通知，他们的任务面临取消的“高风险”。贾斯汀还没有收到这样的通知，但他说他从事的任务是通过测量冰盖来研究气候变化，“所以我在这里假设了一些事情，”他说。
That insecurity is already pushing some NASA scientists to look outside the agency. Amid potential layoffs, some are considering not just leaving the space agency, but the United States altogether. A lack of stability in the U.S. science community is opening the door for international recruitment.
这种不安全感已经促使一些NASA科学家将目光投向该机构之外。在潜在的裁员中，一些人不仅在考虑离开航天局，还在考虑整个美国。美国科学界缺乏稳定性为国际招聘打开了大门。
"Right now, Europe and Asia, every other country in the world, sees what's happening, and they're extending offers," Finch said to the crowd. "The next day, the members of the workforce are gone."
“现在，欧洲和亚洲以及世界上所有其他国家都看到了正在发生的事情，他们正在提供优惠，”芬奇对人群说。“第二天，劳动力就走了。”
Justin is still mulling over his options if his program gets canceled. But he came to a quick alignment with Madeline's stance that she would "probably work for a different country that values science."
贾斯汀仍在考虑如果他的项目被取消他的选择。但他很快就认同了玛德琳的立场，即她“可能会为另一个重视科学的国家工作”。
"That would be the one," Justin said in agreement.
“就是这样，”贾斯汀表示同意。
Several European institutions have already begun reaching out to scientists and engineers across the U.S. to gauge people's interest in continuing their work abroad. One representative said in an email obtained by Space.com that the responses to their initial outreach were "overwhelming (and worrying)."
几个欧洲机构已经开始联系美国各地的科学家和工程师，以评估人们对继续在国外工作的兴趣。一位代表在Space.com获得的一封电子邮件中表示，对他们最初外联活动的反应“势不可挡（且令人担忧）”。
With budget negotiations still ongoing in Congress, protesters are urging lawmakers to act before NASA loses the talent and infrastructure that made its past achievements possible.
由于国会仍在进行预算谈判，抗议者敦促立法者在美国宇航局失去使其过去成就成为可能的人才和基础设施之前采取行动。
"I don't want to be a member of the first generation of humans that stops exploring," Finch said. "We are not the ones who will suffer most — it is every generation of humans that will be set back by our abdication."
芬奇说：“我不想成为第一代停止探索的人类中的一员。”“我们并不是遭受最大痛苦的人——每一代人都会因我们的退位而受到挫折。”
