Science and Space Policy

When you have people, you have politics. So science — which is done by people — involves policy, too. Whether it be trying to balance funds between astrophysics and planetary science in NASA’s budget or deciding how to fund observatories and telescopes in our nation and around the world, politics shapes science. Here, you’ll find our coverage of government shutdowns, impending decisions on which telescope to build in the next decade, and other major policy matters affecting astronomy. We’ll break down the numbers and the lingo so you can understand what’s going on.