Post by @AkaSci@fosstodon.org

The NASA New Horizons spacecraft, which flew by Pluto and Arrokoth, plans to shut down both key heliophysics instruments next month for a lack of $2 million per year funding.

$2 million? We spend 10 times as much every hour in the war on Iran.

New Horizons is the only spacecraft now in the outer heliosphere, making measurements that the two Voyager spacecraft are not equipped to do.

https://blog.planetary-research.org/2026/08/04/a-petition-for-continued-funding-of-measurements-by-nasas-new-horizons-mission-james-green/
https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-s-new-horizons-mission-may-shut-down-two-instruments-over-lack-funding

Let's sign the petition at https://www.change.org/p/heliophysics-community-support-for-continued-measurements-by-nasa-s-new-horizons-mission.

1/n

Change.org

Sign the Petition

Heliophysics Community Support for Continued Measurements by NASA’s New Horizons Mission

https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-s-new-horizons-mission-may-shut-down-two-instruments-over-lack-funding

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Mastodon Migration

@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online 3 hr. ago

RE: https://fosstodon.org/@AkaSci/117202384533948938

@AkaSci

We have become numb to the despicable, venal, corrupt dealings of this administration, but even so, every now and then they still do something so utterly rotten that it can shock the senses.

Soon, to save a rounding error in their budget, or maybe just out of spite, NASA is going to shut down our venerable intrepid extra-solar system traveler, the New Horizons spacecraft. Farewell sturdy explorer... 😢

ROTOPE~1 :yell:

@rotopenguin@mastodon.social 3 hr. ago

@mastodonmigration well worth it for one more gilded gargoyle on Trump's ballroom.

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 6 hr. ago

Hi @mastodonmigration
Please help get the word out. Thanks.

Mastodon Migration

@mastodonmigration@mastodon.online 5 hr. ago

@AkaSci

Boosted. WIll do more later today. Thanks for calling attention to this travesty.

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 8 hr. ago

Here is the argle-bargle response from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

He claims that scientific returns for the New Horizons mission are diminished, since it operating well beyond its initial design life.

He would rather spend the $2 million dollars on "new breakthrough missions, like whatever comes after Dragonfly."

Sounds like something dictated by the White House, which hates science missions and the scientists that carry them out.
😠
#Science #NASA
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Tweet by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin
We have heard from a few members of the community on this and indicated we are looking into it. The big dollars were already invested in New Horizons, so generally supportive of generating high-quality scientific returns for low-dollar spend. This mission aside, at NASA, we do spend a large portion of the SMD budget maintaining missions well beyond their initial design life and scientific returns do diminish. If we can consolidate, ensure continuity of the science, and free up more resources for new breakthrough missions, like whatever comes after Dragonfly, we should, and I suspect we will. — Tweet by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin We have heard from a few members of the community on this and indicated we are looking into it. The big dollars were already invested in New Horizons, so generally supportive of generating high-quality scientific returns for low-dollar spend. This mission aside, at NASA, we do spend a large portion of the SMD budget maintaining missions well beyond their initial design life and scientific returns do diminish. If we can consolidate, ensure continuity of the science, and free up more resources for new breakthrough missions, like whatever comes after Dragonfly, we should, and I suspect we will.

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 6 hr. ago

A good article from "Universe Today" on the status of the New Horizons mission and the funding challenges facing the science team.

Let's keep sharing the petition link and put some pressure on our elected representatives on how our tax-dollars should be spent -

Let's fight for more science, less war and less corruption.
https://www.universetoday.com/articles/is-a-sea-change-coming-for-new-horizons-heliospheric-science
Petition at https://www.change.org/p/heliophysics-community-support-for-continued-measurements-by-nasa-s-new-horizons-mission

#Science #NASA
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Heliophysics Community Support for Continued Measurements by NASA’s New Horizons Mission

AkaSci 🛰️

@AkaSci@fosstodon.org 2 hr. ago

The petition for the NASA New Horizons funding request collected -

- 500 signatures over the past 5 weeks.
- 155 signatures in the last 5 hours.

That's progress, but still a small number.

There are others on Bluesky and X as well who are adding their names and sharing with others.

https://www.change.org/p/heliophysics-community-support-for-continued-measurements-by-nasa-s-new-horizons-mission
4/n

Change.org

Sign the Petition

Heliophysics Community Support for Continued Measurements by NASA’s New Horizons Mission