Roughly 4,000 NASA employees — over 20% of the agency — have left in the past six months. In exclusive interviews, The Planetary Society spoke with several scientists who are speaking out about the impact of the agency's mass departures. Their stories are varied — some were fired or retired early, and others took voluntary buyouts. But all of them paint a common picture: one of pointless waste, discarded expertise, and haphazard decisions. Image credit: NASA/The Planetary Society.

In the face of budget threats, NIAC scientists and engineers are still looking to the future. Each year, NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concepts program (NIAC) funds visionary ideas that could shape the future of space exploration. This week’s Planetary Radio brings you to the 2025 NIAC Symposium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, where host Sarah Al-Ahmed introduces some of the concepts presented at this year’s event.

Chief of Space Policy Casey Dreier has been nominated for a SpaceNews Icon Award. The leader of The Planetary Society’s space policy and advocacy program has been nominated in the Individual Achievement category, alongside Jarrett Jones (who led development of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket) and Josef Aschbacher (head of the European Space Agency). The final awards will be announced in early December.

Catch Casey Dreier on the Smart Girl Dumb Questions podcast. Casey joined host Nayeema Raza to discuss space policy, the reasons we explore, and the science that drives it all. You can find the show on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts.

Heading to TwitchCon in San Diego, CA? Planetary Radio host Sarah Al-Ahmed will join Moohoodles for a live panel, NASA & The Planetary Society: Space, Time, and You, on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. PT in the NomNom Theater. Together, they’ll explore space triumphs past, present, and future, and how everyday people can help shape the next frontier. If you’re not at the event, you can also watch live at twitch.tv/nomnom.