Bill Nye to Trump: Support NASA, Advance Space Exploration

Science educator Bill Nye on Tuesday pressed President Donald Trump to support NASA and advance space exploration.

"Let's maintain all of the existing programs, robotic missions, crew capsules and rocket programs already in development," Nye said in a YouTube video. "Let's keep this momentum going and get humans to Mars in our lifetimes."

Nye, CEO of the Planetary Society's Board of Directors, offered five recommendations for the U.S. space program during Trump's tenure:

• Keep the planet Mars as the goal for human space exploration.
• Orbit Mars first.
• Strengthen NASA science.
• Embrace commercial space.
• Five-over-five (a five-percent boost to NASA's budget every year for the next 5 years).

The Planetary Society is a non-profit space organization devoted to promoting space science and exploration to the public. The board of directors includes top scientists, business leaders, space policy experts, educators and entertainers according to the group.

Trump has control of NASA but hasn't publicly said much about what he will do with the space program. He also hasn't nominated anyone to lead the agency and has not picked a science adviser. But the House recently approved new legislation that would advance NASA's development of the Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket and Orion crew vehicle for deep space exploration, according to the Houston Chronicle.

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