Published at Open the Books Substack

On June 6, 2024, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore arrived at the International Space Station on a Boeing Starliner space craft for an eight-day mission. This was Starliner’s first crewed mission to the ISS. Safety concerns with the Starliner arose during its flight to ISS as the capsule experienced helium leaks and thruster malfunctions.  

 

Boeing and NASA engineers spent several weeks determining if the issue could be fixed, but Starliner was ultimately not deemed safe enough to carry the astronauts. The capsule returned to earth, unmanned, in September 2024.  

 

SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, was selected to bring the astronauts back again, and the rescue mission is upon us this week.

The scandal has put a spotlight on NASA, so Open the Books decided to take a closer look at its recent activities and spending.

 

Embedding DEI into every agency, even NASA, was a mission of the Biden Administration, and one which the new Trump Administration has vowed to reverse. We’re investigating the different ways DEI manifested itself at NASA and taking a deep dive into their spending through grants and contracts – especially with Boeing and SpaceX.

 

With an annual budget of $25 billion, NASA is one of the smaller federal agencies. But its mission is high risk and high visibility, so it’s crucial to understand its decision making and investments.

 

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