tldr;

Over decades, like all government institutions, NASA devolves into an ineffective bureaucracy with massive cost overruns and operational ineffectiveness.

The economic pressure of national debt allows Trump and DOGE to kick much of the academic intelligentsia out of NASA;

astrophysicist loses all her influence in NASA, dies her hair pink and moves to Europe.

NYT continues to publish idealogical comfort food for its reader base about it (mostly liberal elite professional class) and claims it is “journalism”. People feel good reading it.

Instead of the hard work of intellectual honesty and self reflection of views, people continue to devolve into polarized reptilian thinking.