Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association (GESTA) International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE) Local 29, the union representing federal employees at the Goddard Space Flight Center, is calling on Congressional leaders, local government officials, economic stakeholders and the public to take immediate action to stop the proposed closure of the Goddard Visitor Center ‒ a decision that, if enacted, it says would inflict irreparable harm on the community, the regional economy and NASA’s public mission.
The Goddard Visitor Center is a premier exploration and learning space that creates “a vital link between space exploration and the American public,” a union member stated. Closing the Visitor Center is a devastating decision which would greatly impact public engagement and education about the NASA mission. There are guided programs, tours, virtual field trips and various other programs that serve students in the region as well as from other states and countries. The Visitor Center brings subject matter experts and volunteers who provide a wealth of knowledge to the community via regular monthly programming. Among them are Model Rocket Launch, Science Saturdays, Mission Experiment, Space for Me, Ask a Scientist, HerStory: Women of Goddard, Scavenger Hunts, Family Science Adventure and several others. The Goddard Visitor Center also offers science home-schooling sessions throughout the year.
A Mission-Critical Public Outreach Hub
In 2024 alone, the Goddard Visitor Center achieved the
following:
• 33,605 walk-in visitors, engaged across 268 open days.
• 17,522 participants in 274 free public programs, fostering STEM education and community connection.
• 6,223 participants from 43 states and D.C. and 17 international schools attended virtual field trips, extending NASA’s reach beyond regional lines.
• 3,063 youth and adults took part in 96 onsite guided field trip programs, enriching classrooms with real-world science.
• Approximately 1,200 volunteer hours, with subject matter experts and dedicated community docents leading public engagement.
And all of it is free of charge.
It’s worth noting that a majority of these exhibits and programs are supported on weekends and after hours by many of Goddard’s engineers, researchers and scientists when they volunteer as subject matter experts. They see it as a way to educate the public about their work and inspire future generations to value NASA’s mission of world leadership in space exploration.
An Economic Resource
The Visitor Center is not simply an educational venue, it draws tens of thousands of visitors annually who support local businesses, hotels and
restaurants.
Closure of the Center would mean: Lost tourism dollars; reduced visibility for the Goddard Space Flight Center in NASA’s broader mission; disconnection of local families and school systems from the U.S. space program; and a weakened ability to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and space leaders.
A Targeted and Punitive Move?
There is growing concern that the closure may be more than a budgetary decision. The union has yet to receive any indications of other NASA Centers closing their visitor centers. Reports the union has received suggest that this measure ‒ like the planned closures of the Goddard Onsite Occupational Health Unit, fitness center and the onsite vending services, cafeteria and recreational center ‒ is perceived by some employees as purposefully punitive, seemingly designed to inflict maximum institutional pain on remaining employees who chose not to voluntarily separate or resign during recent agency downsizing or restructuring. “This feels less like austerity and more like retribution,” said another union member. “Rather than strengthening the agency’s future, this closure alienates the very community that helped NASA thrive.”
A Call to Action
The union is demanding that the closure of the Goddard Visitor Center be immediately paused pending:
1. A transparent economic and community impact study, developed in coordination with local leaders and stakeholders.
2. A community stakeholder engagement forum, hosted jointly with the union, state and local governments and NASA management.
3. Congressional oversight to investigate the underlying rationale for this closure, and to determine whether it aligns with federal public engagement mandates and the agency mission strategy.
Conclusion
The NASA Goddard Visitor Center provides a representation of NASA’s paramount scientific developments and exemplifies the best of public service, scientific exploration and community engagement. To dismantle it under the guise of restructuring is to diminish the scientific accomplishments and ingenuity of American spaceflight and to abandon the communities that make these things possible.
GESTA urges members of Congress, the Maryland General Assembly, local government throughout the DMV and all economic and educational advocacy partners to speak out, step forward and help reverse this deeply misguided decision before it’s too late.
The Goddard Visitor Center provides unparalleled scientific insight into space for aspiring minds of all generations, a connection to NASA that the community embraces.
Let Goddard continue to reach for the stars ‒ and let the community keep watching.
For further information, interviews or partnership inquiries, email contact@gesta-goddard.org or visit gesta-goddard.org.
This article was drawn from a press release from the Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians Association (GESTA) IFPTE Local 29 union.
