NASA faced a directive from Trump, contemplating the destruction of a vital satellite, which could thwart climate change research.

The Trump administration's decision to destroy the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2) by plunging it into a fiery demise in the Earth's atmosphere has sparked controversy, with critics arguing that it will hamstring climate research for decades.

Launched in July 2014, OCO-2 has been operating continuously in space for over 10 years and could continue for three more decades. The satellite, which was designed to last for two years but carries enough fuel to last 40 years, has produced data of exceptionally high quality that has revolutionised climate science.

Beyond measuring carbon dioxide, OCO-2's data has applications in detecting "solar-induced fluorescence" in plants as a reliable early warning indicator of flash drought. This data has been crucial for understanding climate change and its impact on the environment.

The development and launch cost of the Orbiting Carbon Observatory program was about $750 million, but the cost of maintaining the satellite in orbit is nominal, at about $15 million per year. The budget for NASA Earth science research has been reduced by 50% in the current proposed budget, with the Trump administration zeroing out climate research budgets, including the cancellation of the OCO program.

NASA labeled the Orbiting Carbon Observatory project as "the flagship mission for space-borne measurements" of carbon dioxide, and it was aimed at studying how carbon dioxide produced on Earth gets absorbed by natural sinks like forests. The first OCO satellite was launched in February 2009 but failed after three minutes, costing $270 million and 1,000 work-years of effort. However, the Obama administration appropriated $50 million in December 2009 to restart the OCO project, leading to the successful launch of OCO-2.

Dr. Paul O. Wennberg, the leader of NASA's OCO-2 mission who now works as a private consultant, has spoken out against the decision to destroy OCO-2. He stated that it is "beyond shameful" and that OCO hardware should be considered national assets. Crisp, who worked on the OCO project, added that "these are national assets.... They are what made this country great. Tearing things down doesn't make it great again. It just tears things down."

The future of OCO-2 remains uncertain, but the decision to destroy it has sparked a larger conversation about the importance of climate research and the role of NASA in advancing our understanding of the Earth's climate.