When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.Former NASA astronauts have banded together as part of a new organization called Astronauts for America. . | Credit: NASAA group of former NASA astronauts are banding together with a new organization called “Astronauts for America.””Our country is the mission,” their tagline reads. And in speaking with co-founder NASA astronaut Ron Garan, it is clear how serious they are about this mission. “We need to come together as a crew and nudge the trajectory of our nation back onto a course that’s leading to a better future,” Garan told Space.com. “As astronauts, we’re trained that when we see something that’s wrong, we speak up and we fix it.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAstronauts for America is a new, explicitly nonpartisan organization made up of former NASA astronauts who aim to “defend the Constitution of the United States,” their website reads. Currently, there are over 100 astronauts as part of this mission, though not all are publicly listed on the website for their privacy, according to Garan.So where did this all come from?”There’s been a steady erosion of adherence to constitutional norms,” Garan said. “And there’s been an erosion of rule and law following.”These concerns are shared by other organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which has stated growing concerns of violations of the U.S. Constitution by lawmakers.Garan’s concerns also extend to an observed trend in recent years of distrust in science.AdvertisementAdvertisement”There’s been a steady erosion of people with political power either ignoring or suppressing scientific evidence […] we need to make sure that people are using facts and evidence,” Garan added.This trend has seen political decisions which do not align with scientific evidence, such as legislation concerning vaccines and climate change. Even long-debunked myths in science such as the conspiracy that the Apollo 11 moon landing was faked (hint: it wasn’t) as well as UFO conspiracies have seen a resurgence in popularity. Across the board, this divide between science and public or political opinion has continued to grow.The Astronauts for America logo. | Credit: Astronauts for AmericaHow to protect the ConstitutionTo take on defending the U.S. Constitution, the group plans to first raise awareness through public platforms like social media. They further plan to meet with members of Congress, “to urge them to use their constitutional powers to ensure checks and balances,” Garan said.”We are going to support leaders publicly that use data and science in policy making,” he added. “And what we really want to do is build community, because what the main objective of this organization is to unify the American people around this idea that we are greater than the sum of the parts […] if we work together as crewmates, as we do on space missions, we can steer the trajectory of our nation to a future where we will all thri …
