Hey listeners, welcome to your weekly dive into NASA's world. The biggest headline this week: NASA whistleblowers are sounding the alarm on safety risks from early implementation of the President's FY26 budget cuts, with one warning they're very concerned we'll see an astronaut death within a few years due to this chainsaw approach, according to a new Democratic staff report from the Senate Commerce Committee.

These cuts, pushed since June by NASA Chief of Staff Brian Hughes and OMB directives, have created a culture of fear where employees are told to keep their heads down and prioritize the President's budget request over everything else. NASA's operating under a flat FY25 budget via continuing resolutions, but the push to gut programs like SLS and Orion for commercial alternatives is shaking things up. On the science front, the 2025-2026 NASA Science Plan emphasizes balanced programs guided by National Academies decadal surveys, innovative partnerships, and priorities from Congress and the Administration.

This hits American citizens hard—delayed missions could mean fewer breakthroughs in Earth science, space weather predictions vital for power grids, and Artemis astronaut safety. Businesses face uncertainty with contracts like the University of Alabama's Lunar Freezer System or Blue Origin's ESCAPADE Mars mission reopening for media. States and locals tied to NASA centers worry about jobs amid furlough threats from shutdowns.

Internationally, it's mixed: Artemis Accords meetings advance Moon and Mars cooperation, while Soyuz arrivals expand ISS crew to 10, including Chris Williams.

Exciting sky news from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab: Catch Comet 3I/ATLAS at its closest on December 19th, Geminids peaking soon, and Moon-Jupiter conjunction December 7th. Astronaut Jonny Kim recaps his eight-month ISS mission December 19th at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Joe Westlake, NASA's heliophysics director, says of recent Parker Probe solar wind insights: These breathtaking images expand what we know about our star and space weather for Artemis safety.

Impacts? Everyday folks get inspired by free skywatching, but budget squeezes could slow public benefits like better weather forecasts. Businesses hustle for commercial low-Earth orbit transitions by April 2025 under the NASA Transition Authorization Act.

Watch Jonny Kim's briefing, ESCAPADE launch, and Sentinel-6B for sea level data. Head to science.nasa.gov for sky tips and missions. Tune in those evenings—grab binoculars!

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