Astronomy Policy: The Current Situation and How to Change It

Kevin Marvel

Governmental decisions impact science in the United States and Astronomy is not immune to these changes. NASA has embarked on a restructuring of its human space flight program with an emphasis on returning to the Moon and Mars. This change in direction for NASA's human space flight program is limiting the funds available for scientific research and the planned expansion in planetary and space science outlined in previous budget documents is but a fading memory. I will describe the current situation in Washington, provide an outlook for the coming year and, most importantly, provide positive ways that astronomers and other researchers can impact the process.