… NASA, of course, is best known for launching expeditions into space and capturing images of distant galaxies. But NASA also has a mission to Earth. Its satellites surveil what the agency calls “vital signs of the planet” and supply information to scientists whose work is decidedly Earthbound. A good deal focuses on tracking the effects of climate change on groundwater levels, wildfires, global temperature trends, and more. … The future of some of that public health work is now unclear. The Trump administration’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year would, if enacted, bring NASA’s spending back to 1961 levels. … The overall budget would be cut by nearly 25 percent, and Earth science more than halved.

Other climate science and policy news:

• E&E News by Politico: Trump team readies more attacks on mainstream climate science
• NPR: EPA aims to undo authority to regulate climate pollution
• The Equation (Union of Concerned Scientists): Blog: We can have it all: forward-looking climate policy and affordability. Here’s how.