The future of space exploration in the United States has dramatically gone downhill — at least for thousands of NASA employees. The space agency, which once symbolized scientific progress, is now turning into a place resembling a police state. In response to the coming harsh cuts and budget cuts, NASA has begun to implement unprecedented control measures for its employees.
This week, the agency announced the beginning of random personal searches of employees and their cars on the territory of space centers. Although this is officially explained by "ensuring workplace safety," in fact, according to insiders, the real reason is management's panic concerns about corporate espionage. Employees, knowing about upcoming layoffs, can secretly copy or take out confidential data to use it as a "trump card" when looking for a new job in private space companies such as SpaceX or Blue Origin.
These physical searches are just the tip of the iceberg. They go hand in hand with large-scale digital surveillance, in which artificial intelligence plays a key role. AI—based systems now scan employees' emails, file storage, and network activity in search of "suspicious behavior," such as bulk data downloads or frequent contact with competitors.
All this is happening against the backdrop of the Trump administration's shocking decision to cut NASA's budget for fiscal year 2026 by 23%. As a result, the agency is forced to lay off about 5,000 people — almost a tenth of its staff. Such a large-scale crisis generates fear, distrust and, as a result, harsh controls that, according to critics, undermine the very spirit of the scientific community and innovation.
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