Trump Administration Shuts Down NASA’s Largest Research Library

Last updated: 2026/01/04 at 12:45 PM

News Room Published 4 January 2026

The Trump administration has shut down one of NASA’s largest research libraries, amid proposed steep cuts and widespread layoffs at the government agency over the past year. The move could endanger “tens of thousands” of books, documents, and journals, many of which have not been digitized or made available in other libraries, reported The New York Times.

Jacob Richmond, a NASA spokesman, said that the library catalog would be reviewed over the next 60 days, with some materials being destroyed and others stored in different buildings. One retired NASA scientist told The Times that the library included rare books such as works by Soviet scientists describing their early missions during the 1960s and 1970s.

NASA’s scientific operations have seen severe budget cuts under the Trump administration. A report by spaceflight-dedicated nonprofit The Planetary Society claimed 2025 marks the smallest NASA budget since 1961, when adjusted for inflation, calling it “an extinction-level event for the space agency’s most productive, successful, and broadly supported activity.”

The library is based in NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, which is among the world’s largest complexes dedicated to spaceflight. Established in 1959 as NASA’s first spaceflight center, the complex employs about 10,000 civil servants and contractors and manages many of NASA’s most high-profile projects, including the Hubble Space Telescope. Some of its associated scientists have received Nobel Prizes.

Bethany Stevens, a NASA spokeswoman, said the move was “a consolidation, not a closure,” claiming the changes were planned before Trump came into office, in a statement to The Times. Stevens claimed that axing the facilities would save $10 million a year while avoiding another $63.8 million in deferred maintenance.

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“The Trump administration has spent the last year attacking NASA Goddard and its workforce and threatening our efforts to explore space, deepen our understanding of Earth, and spur technological advancements that make our economy stronger and nation safer,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in an official statement.

Goddard’s library isn’t the only NASA library to see the federal axe this year. Three NASA libraries have shut down over the past year, with seven in total shutting their doors since 2022. Meanwhile, over 2,000 senior staff were set to leave the agency as of July 2025, as per Politico.