NASA Mission Statement Changed

NASA very quietly changed its mission statement this year by deleting the phrase “to understand and protect our home planet”.

Of course the Bush administration's denial of any changes to the earth's climate due to the use of fossil fuels had nothing to do with the change.

From The New York Times:

David E. Steitz, a spokesman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said the aim was to square the statement with President Bush’s goal of pursuing human spaceflight to the Moon and Mars.

But the change comes as an unwelcome surprise to many NASA scientists, who say the “understand and protect” phrase was not merely window dressing but actively influenced the shaping and execution of research priorities. Without it, these scientists say, there will be far less incentive to pursue projects to improve understanding of terrestrial problems like climate change caused by greenhouse gas emissions.