A nearly year-old Facebook event for a “simple maths competition” has been one of the most viral posts on the platform for six months. The “event” racked up about 51 million views on Facebook during the first quarter of 2025, according to the company’s latest report on “widely viewed content” on the platform.
That would be an impressive stat for any single post, but it’s the second quarter in a row in which the “maths competition” has nabbed the number two spot on Meta’s list of widely viewed content. It also appeared on last quarter’s report, during which time it received about 64.3 million views, according to an archived version of the report.
So why is a random Facebook event that’s not really an event getting more than 100 million views? It would seem to be a repackaging of an old engagement bait tactic. The header image for the event is an image of a piece of paper with the words “only for genius” followed by a seemingly simple equation. When shared as a Facebook post, the image is prominently displayed in a way that may look like a normal image post. The image also has some striking similarities to other seemingly simple math equations that have been going viral on Facebook for nearly 15 years.
A look at the event page itself shows that hundreds of thousands of people have engaged with the event. More than 800,000 people responded to the supposed July 8, 2024 event. Even now, nearly a year later, the event is seeing regular comments from Facebook users — most of whom are intent on earnestly explaining how the equation should be solved (or arguing with others’ interpretation). As Slate noted back in 2013, there’s something irresistible about arguing basic arithmetic with strangers on the internet.
What is a bit of a mystery is why this post has gone so viral months after it was originally posted. I reached out to the account behind the post, a Nigerian-based creator named Ebuka Peter Ibeh and didn’t immediately hear back. The post seems to be far more successful than any other recent posts from Ibeh, who has about 25,000 Facebook followers.
In any case, the post offers an interesting window into the kinds of bizarre content and questionable tactics that still regularly goes mega-viral on Facebook. Meta recently said it would crack down on creators sharing spammy posts on Facebook, though it’s unclear if this type of engagement bait would fall under the category of content it’s explicitly trying to discourage.
Apple‘s AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation (ANC) just became an even more enticing proposition for those who have been on the fence about picking up a pair. They have , which is $30 off the regular price. That’s only about $10 more than the record low and the lowest price we’ve seen for the AirPods 4 with ANC so far this year.
If ANC isn’t such a big deal for you (perhaps, like me, you tend to only wear one earbud at a time), you can snap up a set of AirPods 4 without ANC instead. Those will , a discount of $10.
Apple
The ANC-enabled version of Apple’s AirPods 4 have dropped to their lowest price so far this year.
We gave the AirPods 4 with ANC . Apple improved the audio quality compared with the previous version, and the earbuds have a better fit than the AirPods 3. We felt that the ANC was pretty effective too. However, the lack of onboard volume controls remains a disappointment.
The AirPods 4 use the same H2 chip as the AirPods Pro 2, meaning they share some features with the higher-end model. They support Voice Isolation, Personalized Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Personalized Volume and Adaptive EQ. The ANC-enabled model also has Conversation Awareness, Adaptive Audio and Transparency mode. In addition, the charging case that comes with the ANC version has Qi-compatible wireless charging, as well as a built-in speaker for Find My. However, the AirPods Pro 2’s advanced hearing health features aren’t present here.
Check out our coverage of the best Apple deals for more discounts, and follow @EngadgetDeals on X for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
The Switch 2’s Joy-Con “mouse” has some competition. At least one launch game for Nintendo’s new console includes USB mouse support. Nobunga’s Ambition: Awakening CE lets you plug in a traditional pointing device and get down to business. According to developer Koei Tecmo, the mouse will “work seamlessly.”
Nobunga’s Ambition will let you switch between controller and USB mouse on the fly. “Once you connect the USB mouse, a message will appear in the top left indicating that the mouse is connected,” Michi Ryu said in a video (translated from Japanese). “When the USB mouse is connected, it takes priority over the Joy-Con 2. As you can see, you can switch instantly. It’s very smooth.”
So, what does that mean for other mouse-friendly Switch 2 games? Civilization VII, another launch title, comes to mind. We emailed 2K Games to ask and will update this story if we hear back.
To be fair, the Switch 2’s Joy-Con mouse support is solid. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford was pleasantly surprised with it in his hands-on. Still, it’s nice to have options. (And let’s be honest, a real mouse will be hard to beat.)
Although it wasn’t a well-known fact, the original Switch also supported USB mice. For example, Nintendo’s visual programming tool Game Builder Garage worked with them. But the number of games supporting the Joy-Con mouse makes it a bigger deal on the Switch 2.
Fortnite is back in the US App Store. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced that he intended to relaunch the game in late April, following a court order that demanded Apple stop collecting a 27 percent fee on app transactions that happen outside of its in-app purchase system. The company finally amending its rules to remove that additional commission is why Epic moved forward with the relaunch.
The origins of this conflict can be traced all the way back to 2020, when Epic added its own method for collecting payments for in-game items in Fortnite and encouraged players to circumvent Apple’s system. Fortnite was removed from the App Store (and the Google Play Store for that matter), Epic sued and the rest is history.
Epic didn’t win its entire case against Apple, but it did secure a permanent injunction allowing developers to include in-app text that makes users aware of payment options other than the App Store. According to the latest court order, Apple allowed that text, but was still demanding developers pay it a fee for those non-App Store transactions. That prompted the judge overseeing the companies’ case to demand Apple stop and remove even more obstacles from the payment process.
It was anticipated that Fortnite would return far earlier than it actually did. Companies like Spotify swiftly updated their apps to take advantage of Apple’s rule change, with approved applications showing up in early May. In fact, Spotify managed to get a second update focused on Audiobooks approved before Epic was able to get Fortnite in the App Store. Today’s news comes in the wake of a Judge ordering Apple on May 19 to either resolve the matter or have the “Apple official who is personally responsible” show up in court next week to explain why.
Fortnite has technically been available on Apple devices in other ways for a while now, whether its through the Epic Game Store in the European Union, or game streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and NVIDIA GeForce Now in the US. Returning to the App Store is a symbolic victory. The real prize are the court orders that came from Epic v. Apple.
Assuming they survive Apple’s appeal, they could dramatically reshape Apple’s business and the way apps work on the iPhone.
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You’ll soon be able to get into your favorite games even faster with the updated Xbox home screen. According to Microsoft, Xbox Insiders are due to get three new customization options later this week that will make their dashboard feel a little more personal. As detailed in Xbox Wire, certain Xbox players will have options to reduce clutter and allow them to pull their favorite games to the front of the list.
The first major change lets you pin up to three of your favorite games or apps to the recently-played list. Pinning these means that they’ll stay near the front of your list even when you launch other apps occasionally. Beyond that, your Xbox will get the option to “Hide System Apps” which should reduce the clutter and tuck those less important shortcuts away. To further streamline your home screen, Xbox will introduce the “Reduce Tile Count” feature that lets you set how many visible tiles are in the recently opened games and apps list. With more control thanks to these new features, Xbox players should get a cleaner homepage that lets their dynamic backgrounds shine more.
“We’ve heard from many of you that Home should feel more like your space,” Eden Marie, principal software engineering lead of Xbox Experiences, wrote on Xbox’s blog. “Whether it’s surfacing your favorite games, hiding what you don’t use, or simply making Home feel less crowded, this update is a direct response to that feedback.”
According to Microsoft, these features will arrive on Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha users’ consoles first. However, the company is still tweaking the Reduce Tile Count feature, adding that it “will be coming soon.” Now, if only there were a way to hide those ads on the homescreen.
Update May 14, 6:38PM ET: Valve has confirmed that Steam systems were not breached and identifying user data has not been stolen or accessed by hackers. The company provided clarification in a Steam blog post:
“We’re still digging into the source of the leak, which is compounded by the fact that any SMS messages are unencrypted in transit, and routed through multiple providers on the way to your phone. The leak consisted of older text messages that included one-time codes that were only valid for 15-minute time frames and the phone numbers they were sent to. The leaked data did not associate the phone numbers with a Steam account, password information, payment information or other personal data. Old text messages cannot be used to breach the security of your Steam account.”
Our original story follows.
Steam has allegedly suffered a data breach in the past week. Details are scant and difficult to confirm, but a known hacker has claimed to be selling a database of more than 89 million user records for the gaming platform with one-time access codes obtained from a third-party vendor used by Steam. If accurate, that would include information about more than two-thirds of Steam’s audience.
The original LinkedIn post identifying a breach suggested that the leaked information came from cloud communication company Twilio. However, a Steam rep said the platform doesn’t use Twilio, so if there has been a breach, it may be through a different vendor providing SMS codes for access.
While we’re genuinely not sure what’s happening at this stage, the whole kerfuffle is a timely reminder to check in on your online security practices. In the case of Steam, Valve has a mobile authentication program called Steam Guard that can help keep your account secure. It’s also a good practice to make sure you’re regularly changing your pass codes, especially when it’s possible that some component of Steam Guard was at the root of this week’s security drama. A password manager can streamline that process. Since phone numbers appear to have been compromised, be extra alert to possible phishing attempts via text.
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Apple is reportedly planning to introduce a small but welcome convenience feature with iOS 19: cross-device syncing for Wi-Fi access portals. This is according to the latest newsletter from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman. The feature would address the annoyance of having to individually fill out pop-up forms to access public Wi-Fi on all your devices, like when you’re at a hotel. According to Gurman, “This new feature will let you enter that information on one device and have it synced to your other products.”
It’s one of several upcoming features Apple may show off at its Worldwide Developers Conference, which is set for June 9-13 this year. The event is expected to bring some to the company’s operating systems that should make for a more consistent look between its products’ software. Gurman also reports that AirPods may be getting a live translation feature, which we could see at WWDC alongside .
The World Video Game Hall of Fame welcomed its 2025 inductees today. The Strong National Museum of Play that the newest entries are GoldenEye 007 from Rare, Quake by id Software, Defender from Williams Electronics and Tamagotchi by Bandai. The four games chosen “have significantly influenced popular culture and the video game industry,” the museum said in its press release. The other impactful games nominated for inclusion this year are Age of Empires, Angry Birds, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Frogger, Golden Tee, Harvest Moon, Mattel Football and NBA 2K.
The selections may spark some serious nostalgia for those of us who grew up in the 90s. I remember being deeply envious of my classmates who had little Tamagotchi pets to care for, and I have fond memories of smack-talking my friends during late-night GoldenEye matches. Last year’s also highlighted favorites from that era like Myst, Resident Evil and SimCity.
The is nearly here, which means the original Switch is entering its twilight years. It’s been eight years since Nintendo released its , and while many fans have spent the last couple of those itching for the device to be replaced, now seems like an opportune time to look back at what its legacy may wind up being (while acknowledging that it still has some life ahead of it).
Instead of bleating on myself, though, I turned to the rest of the Engadget staff to see what comes to mind when they think of the Switch, as just about everyone on the team has played with the console. We’ve collected our reflections below — some take a bigger-picture view, some are more personal, some contradict others’ experiences entirely. There’s plenty more that went unsaid. But I think that’s part of the Switch’s beauty; it’s a device that’s resonated with so many, in so many different ways, in its near-decade on the market.
The Switch embodied Nintendo’s lateral thinking with withered technology
Broadly speaking, you can group Nintendo consoles into two types. On one side you have devices that may be distinctive in certain ways but mostly iterate on a previous success or focus on technical upgrades first — think the SNES, GameCube, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, 3DS and, by the looks of it, the Switch 2. (The N64 and original NES could go either way, but I’d put them here too.) On the other you have machines that are more out there, ones that most obviously represent “lateral thinking with withered technology,” the company’s longtime product philosophy championed by legendary designer .
These eschew cutting-edge technology for mature, cheaper hardware redeployed in novel ways. The worst of these have been existential disasters for Nintendo (Wii U, ). The best have created new forms of play, experiences you could hardly imagine before but make perfect sense in hindsight (Game Boy, DS, Wii). Not coincidentally, these are the consoles that’ve in Nintendo’s history.
The Switch fell firmly in the latter camp. It didn’t really matter that the chip was from an . It didn’t really matter that the Joy-Cons kind of sucked, with beady buttons and thumbsticks that . It didn’t matter that there was a paltry 32GB of storage, that the (non-OLED) display was barely usable outdoors, that the triggers weren’t pressure-sensitive or that the kickstand always felt like it’d snap off. In a world that, for better or worse, increasingly demands comfort above all else, it won on sheer force of convenience. No other gaming device had ever gone so far to meet players where they live. And it won on , as Nintendo systems often do. Like the Game Boy and Wii, the Switch’s concept was so undeniable that its hardware only needed to be good enough for its time in the sun. So that’s all it ever was. It embodied Nintendo’s lateral thinking, blending unremarkable parts into something playful and brilliant.— Jeff Dunn, senior reporter
The Switch saw Nintendo (finally) embrace indies
The Switch was an absolute delight for fans of indie game studios. This was really the first time the company truly embraced smaller developers in a comprehensive way, and it paid off big. The console became the de facto way to experience many of the standout titles of the past generation, including stuff like Celeste, Dead Cells, Hades, Golf Story, Undertale, Stardew Valley and, of course, Hollow Knight.
The hybrid nature of the console led many gamers, myself included, to wait for a Switch release of an indie title. This was before the Steam Deck and its ilk, so there really wasn’t any other way to play most of these games on a portable machine. The company’s sudden support for indies was great for gamers, as we got to play cool stuff, but it was also great for Nintendo. Many of these titles and gave the company some breathing room between first-party releases. Remember, the Switch was woefully underpowered when compared to other consoles so it couldn’t really run many AAA third-party games. Nowadays, Nintendo loves indies so much that they get their own Direct livestreams. My, how times have changed. — Lawrence Bonk, contributing reporter
The Switch was a haven for the golden age of Metroidvanias
It’s fitting that will be the Switch’s swan song. Starting with the release of Hollow Knight a year after the system’s debut, the Switch has been the best place to experience the golden age of Metroidvanias. Between , Blasphemous 2, Hollow Knight, Nine Sols and Nintendo’s own contributions to the genre, nearly every great Metroidvania since 2017 has made it to the Switch; in fact, Microsoft even on the console.
The Switch was my favorite place to play many of those games. With their often simpler graphics, most Metroidvanias were a perfect fit for the system. For example, Hollow Knight and run at a flawless 60 frames per second and look great on the system, especially on the with its ability to produce inky blacks. The Switch’s portability is also a huge boon for these types of games. They’re great for short pick up and play sessions, and even better for longer ones when you can get lost in their worlds. — Igor Bonifacic, senior reporter
In praise of the Switch Lite, the handheld console for everyone
When I think of the Switch, the first object that comes to mind is my coral . No fancy OLED screen, no detachable controllers, no TV input mechanism and a maximum resolution of 720p, all wrapped up in an adorable, handheld, candy-colored package. For me, this is a highlight of the ninth console generation. The Switch Lite is effective because it’s simple: It comfortably fits in most people’s hands (ahem, ), it offers a large selection of indie and mainstream games, its screen is just big enough, it travels well and it’s cute as hell. The audience for the Switch Lite spans children to adults, commuters to work-from-homers, and its popularity demonstrates some deep truths about what we actually love in video games. Turns out, photorealistic graphics and uncapped framerates are less important than solid game design and innovative mechanics.
I’ve owned a full-fat Switch and a Lite for years, and while I enjoy playing Mario Kart 8 with friends on the couch, nothing beats the intimacy of curling up with my little Lite. Perhaps it’s not surprising that Nintendo, the creator of the Game Boy and its numerous iterations, knows how to make a fantastic handheld console, but it’s still supremely satisfying. I’m excited about the Switch 2, sure, but the debut console — , detachable gamepads and all — is only responsible for half of that feeling. The other half is on pause and smothered in pastels, patiently waiting on the announcement of a Switch 2 Lite. — Jessica Conditt, senior editor
The Switch is a lesson to all developers, everywhere
Ever since I’ve been able to see how much memory a single Chrome tab uses, I’ve been obsessed with elegance. Not in the ballgowns-and-tuxedos sense, but to pursue efficiency as a form of art, to use self-imposed limitations to surpass anyone’s expectations. It may have been a brightly-colored games console, but the Nintendo Switch was a masterpiece of elegance.
It’s not that modern-day Nintendo has ever really gotten into the bigger-number-is-better wars but then, as now, people were sniffy about the Switch’s power. After all, it was using a modified and, crucially, downclocked version of NVIDIA’s Tegra X1 system on chip. It wasn’t long before everyone started (kinda) joking their smartphones could beat the console in the power metrics.
Compared to the competition? Pfft. The Xbox and PS4 were smog-billowing big rigs next to the Switch’s carbon-fiber bicycle with only one crossbar. And yet, of the three, it’s the console I’ve spent the most time playing during this whole generation. Because for all it lacked in graphical clout, it never seemed to miss out where it counted.
That’s testament to Nintendo squeezing so much damn power out of the Switch, and its willingness to put the work in. Yes, you can get Call of Murder Simulator with ultra-realistic blood spatter on the other two consoles, but it’s not as if there weren’t plenty of demanding titles on this platform too. I can call to mind games like Doom Eternal and , not to mention top-tier games from the last generation, like Bioshock and Portal.
And that’s before you got to masterpieces like and which are, shockingly good given the hardware they’re running on. Yes, there was the odd frame drop in the latter title, but when you think about what that game was doing, a frame drop was more than forgivable. Fundamentally, the Switch is a lesson to all developers everywhere that they should be disciplined to do a lot more with a lot less. — Daniel Cooper, senior editor
The Switch had me dreaming of a higher-fidelity Hyrule
Apologies in advance if this comes off as another gamer saying Nintendo should make more powerful consoles. That’s not what I’m saying, I swear. Nintendo hasn’t chased the PlayStation or Xbox in graphics power for multiple console generations; it clearly has different priorities. And the art style and attention to detail in its first-party games is nearly unmatched. Rarely have I played any of Nintendo’s games and thought “this could use more pixels” or more “realistic” graphics.
However, in late 2017 I was engrossed in two games: Horizon Zero Dawn on the PS4 and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the then recently released Switch. As fate would have it, both games came out in March, and while Horizon got plenty of positive reviews, it was a bit buried by the hype around Breath of the Wild and its radical reinvention of how a Zelda game plays. And while the two have their fair share of differences, the commonality of exploring a gorgeous and vast open world where you could go to almost anywhere you can see made me think how much I’d love it if Nintendo went all-in on a console and Zelda title that could provide fidelity like in Horizon Zero Dawn.
I’m not saying I need human-realistic characters in a Zelda game — the art direction in Breath of the Wild is great. But the forests, mountains, deserts, caves and rivers in Horizon are perhaps the most beautiful rendering of the natural world that I’ve ever seen in a game. Combining the endless exploration of Hyrule in Breath of the Wild with a Hyrule that looks as good as the world in Horizon does would be an incredible combo, even though it’s not something I’m holding my breath for. That said, the Switch 2 seems like a much more capable console, and you have to imagine the next Zelda game will look a bit different than the last two. Surprise me, Nintendo! — Nathan Ingraham, deputy editor
The Switch changed me from Nintendo skeptic to Nintendo superfan
Before the Switch came out, I knew there were people who proudly wore their Nintendo fandom, but I could not understand their fascination. I think that was because I'd never had my own Nintendo hardware. Every experience I'd had of the company's games before the Switch was on a console that belonged to a friend, roommate or significant other. That meant as a player, my experience was almost entirely based on casual hangout games like Mario Kart and Mario Party. Later on, as I began writing about games, my professional opinion was that Nintendo made money by manufacturing scarcity with limited releases and a dubious attitude about preservation.
Given all the mid-to-bad feelings I had about the company, I don't remember why I decided to buy a Switch for myself. It was about a year after the hardware debuted, so maybe I'd seen enough positive buzz that I was ready to see what all the fuss was about. Whatever the reason, I'm so happy I wandered into the store to finally acquire my first Nintendo console that fateful day.
Since then, I've spent hours in , gleefully searching every corner of each world for sneaky hidden moons. I logged even more time in Breath of the Wild, exploring Hyrule as an escape from the doom of COVID in the real world. I've logged multiple hundreds of hours uncovering the intrigues of Garreg Mach Monastery and leading my students into battle with . And you don't even want to know how many hundreds of hours I've spent clearing out pills in Dr. Mario. A bunch of titles that I'd now consider my favorites came from my time playing on the Switch.
I'm sure that if the SNES or the N64 had been my true introduction to the world of Nintendo, I'd have similar warm fuzzies about those generations of games. But the way my timeline has gone, the Switch is the one that introduced me to this joyful and delightful gaming ecosystem. So I see you, Nintendo fans. And now I am one of you. — Anna Washenko, contributing reporter
The Switch was the console I always wanted – until it wasn’t
I was desperately hoping for a console like the Switch before it was announced by Nintendo. That time, I was mainly gaming on the Nintendo 3DS and the PS Vita, until I discovered the Vita TV and realized that I prefer being able to play my handheld games on a bigger screen sometimes. I remember playing Fire Emblem Awakening on the 3DSand thinking of how it would be so much better if I could get a bigger view of the battlefield.
When Nintendo released the Switch years later, it was everything I wanted. You can take your game with you anywhere and then play it on the TV when you're home? Perfect. The Vita TV wasn't as seamless, since I had to move memory cards to and from the handheld Vita to play the same game.
Now, years later, my life and my eyesight have gone through some big changes. I no longer play games if I can't play them on the TV. That means for games that have both a Nintendo and a PlayStation version, I almost always get the one for PlayStation, since it has better graphics and overall quality.
But what about Nintendo-exclusive games? These days, I find myself wishing for a Switch without a screen. Just a simple console like the Vita TV with, perhaps, better specs for crisper graphics and less stuttering. Or, if that's truly not possible, just one that's cheaper than the full console. (I’m person who’s called for this!) Alas, there's no version of the Switch 2 coming out without a display. It's a wish I may have to carry with me for years like my wish for the Switch's current form factor — I'll just have to wait and see if it also comes to life. For now, I'll just keep on playing on my (docked) Switch. — Mariella Moon, contributing reporter
The Switch helped make handhelds feel special again
I got my Nintendo Switch on launch day way back in March 2017 and it's the only one I've ever owned. And even though its Joy-Con started to drift over the years and its Nvidia Tegra X1 chip was already kind of dated from the get-go, I will always appreciate how that thing held it down for the better part of a decade. Plus, thanks to Nintendo's magic, it never felt like the console was held back by its less powerful hardware.
However, as we begin the transition to its successor, I really want to praise the Switch for reinvigorating people's interests in handhelds. When it came out, the Nintendo 3DS was already on its last legs while Sony had all but abandoned the Vita. But thanks to the Switch's ability to double as both a home console and a portable gaming device, it directly paved the way for so many of on sale today like the , Steam Deck and more. This reminds me of how awesome it felt as a kid to bring games with me to help pass the time on long road trips or when the dentist would distract me with a Game Boy during cleanings. It's something that still feels special today even with the proliferation of laptops and tablets, which can't quite match that level of engagement and portability, and I will forever appreciate the risk Nintendo took when it designed that flexibility into the Switch's core identity. — Sam Rutherford, senior reporter
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/reflections-on-the-nintendo-switch-the-hybrid-console-that-changed-gaming-192049755.html?src=rss
The Trump administration’s preliminary 2026 budget proposes the biggest single-year cut to NASA funding in the agency’s 67-year history. The cuts are part of the White House’s broader government “skinny budget,” which aligns with Elon Musk’s DOGE wishlist. The NASA portion would gut the agency’s science programs, cancel the Gateway space station project and phase out the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule after a measly three flights.
Trump’s proposal would cut NASA’s funding by more than $6 billion from its 2025 budget, from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. That’s a 24 percent decrease and, according to The Planetary Society, the biggest single-year drop in NASA funding ever. Space.comsays the most brutal cuts would be to space science (a $2.3 billion decrease), Earth science ($1.2 billion less) and legacy human exploration programs ($900 million less).
Also on the chopping block would be Gateway, the planned lunar orbit space station that would act as a hub for missions to the Moon and (eventually) Mars. Ditto for a joint program with the European Space Station to return Mars soil samples to Earth. The White House proposes ending NASA’s sustainable aviation efforts (who needs a healthy planet, amirite?) and “any funding toward misaligned DEIA [diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility] initiatives.”
NASA’s SLS rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft.
NASA
In addition, the White House’s budget would phase out Boeing’s SLS and Lockheed Martin’s Orion after only three flights — projects that cost $26.4 billion and $21.5 billion to produce. The Trump administration wants “more cost-effective commercial systems” to replace them. (I’m no NASA budget expert, but that sounds like quite the potential score for the president’s billionaire backers, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.)
The only area that would see an increase would be human space exploration, which would see a $650 million boost. Bloomberg says it calls for over a $7 billion increase in lunar exploration funding and a new $1 billion investment in Mars exploration.
If there’s a silver lining for those who care about science, Congress would have to approve the budget, so some or all of those bullet points could be slashed before the 2026 funding is approved. Trump’s political capital is nowhere near where it was on Inauguration Day. Recent polling reveals plummeting support, including over half of Americans viewing the 47th president as a “dangerous dictator.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-white-houses-proposed-budget-would-cancel-nasas-gateway-space-station-project-201459838.html?src=rss
