Science and the shutdown

[caraher]

Our Teahadist members of Congress will really be thrilled when they realize that their grandstanding is likely to make leaving the US for a country with a functioning government an increasingly appealing option. Case in point: I routinely query the NIST Atomic Spectra Database, but instead of getting the query form I get the following cheery message today:

NIST Closed, NIST and Affiliated Web Sites Not Available

Due to a lapse in government funding, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is closed and most NIST and affiliated web sites are unavailable until further notice. We sincerely regret the inconvenience.

The National Vulnerability Database and the NIST Internet Time Service web sites will continue to be available. A limited number of other web sites may also be available.

Notice will be posted here (www.nist.gov) once operations resume. You may also get updates on NIST's operating status by calling [phone].

Conferences and other events scheduled during the shutdown are postponed or cancelled. Even after NIST reopens, some NIST events may need to be rescheduled. Once access to NIST Web sites resumes, please see the Conferences and Events (http://www.nist.gov/allevents.cfm) list for updated information on specific events.

On top of the increasingly-dismal grant funding situation, we now get to deal with periodic "outages" of elements of our science infrastructure that rely on a functioning government. Thanks to Congressional Republicans, other nations look better and better to scientists, which will only accelerate the erosion of our once-great standing in the realm of science.

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. The Republicans Just Furloughed The Mars Rover Curiosity, Too

Happy 55th anniversary, NASA! Here's what you're getting as a present: screwed.

Congress failed to come up with a budget agreement by midnight last night, so now all "non-essential" services are being cut. Guess what's "non-essential"? Science! All of the science. That now includes the Mars rover Curiosity, which has been shut down, taking a furlough in safe mode like 97 percent (!) of NASA employees. (Safe mode, which Curiosity has gone into for technical glitches before, means it won't be completely turned off, but won't be collecting new data, either.) More or less everyone who isn't working on keeping the International Space Station astronauts safe will be receiving an unexpected vacation.

But hey, remember when the rover found all that water on Mars last week? Non-essential! Cut! Cut! Bicker! Obamacare freedom Ted Cruz!

http://www.popsci.com/article/science/congress-just-furloughed-mars-rover-curiosity-too

[caraher]

2. Thanks for the link

It's good to collect these stories as reminders of what government can do - and a lot of people are passionate about space!

[xocet]

3. Remember the SSC...

It is good that the LHC was built, but...



Here is one of the brilliant minds on the House Committee on Space, Science and Technology:



If Republicans were in charge of science, we would still be worshiping fire.

Also, from yesterday, NASA's birthday:

[TreasonousBastard]

4. I am trying to finish an article for an astronomy newsletter...

by the end of the week. NASA and all other relevant federal science websites are down. Damn near every federal website is down, including the agency I work for.

It's not the end of the world if I don't get the article done, but if this shit goes on it could be the end of the world as we know it.